


Catching My Breath

by HoneyByunnie



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Brief OC appearence, CEO!Chanyeol, Chanyeol has interesting nicknames, Enemies to Lovers, Fluff, Happy Ending, Humor, M/M, Secretary!Baekhyun, Slow Burn, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-18
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-16 19:20:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 30,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28961595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HoneyByunnie/pseuds/HoneyByunnie
Summary: A CEO and his secretary on the run in The British Isles. That's it, that's the story.Oh yeah, and they hate each other.
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Park Chanyeol
Comments: 34
Kudos: 162
Collections: Swords and Hearts 2020





	Catching My Breath

**Author's Note:**

> **Code:** SAH559  
>  **Prompt:** "i'm bored so anybody wants a gate-crasher to their wedding or sumn...?" was a joke tweet by user @B_hundred_Hyun. Not so much of a joke to—soon-to-be-married but desperate to get out of it—@real__pcy.
> 
> Light bulb: ON.
> 
> A few DMs later and to Chanyeol's surprise: it's Baekhyun. The annoying batch mate from university, the loud colleague, the sole source of his daily headache. Baekhyun who had a beautiful girlfriend during their student days up until Chanyeol snatched her. Lovely. uwu
> 
> @B_hundred_Hyun: i'm not a fucking girlfriend snatcher like you!! i just want free food, bro! not a bride???
> 
> @real__pcy: No. It's me. Take me away.  
>  **Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction and none of the characters are owned by Swords and Hearts. All creative rights and ownership of this particular work of fiction lie with the respective authors.**
> 
> **Author's Note:** Hii! So first, I want to thank SAH mods for being so gosh darn patient with me. I really enjoyed bringing the prompt to life. 
> 
> To the prompter: thank you so much for thinking of it! I fell in love as soon as I saw it. Thank you to my friends who helped me think of ideas, and especially Z who proofread everything and supported me as much as they did. I love you so much :(. 
> 
> I would also like to thank r/rareinsults and my friend who also has rare insults.
> 
> Please note that some technical information is not accurate, though I did try my best. This is all for entertainment! That being said, I also apologize for any grammatical and/or spelling errors that may have slipped through.
> 
> I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I worked hard on it! Enjoy!! 
> 
> P.S, the title is from the song Evermore by Taylor Swift. I recommend listening to the song while reading :3.

Baekhyun spun his pen between his fingers delicately, bored out of his mind. He kept glancing at the time on his laptop, deflating when he’d see the numbers hadn’t moved a bit. 

Now, it wasn’t like Baekhyun had to go somewhere. He actually didn’t have much to do the whole day, his employer being cooped up in his own office. Apparently, none of the employees had anything to discuss either, because absolutely no one came up, no one called- hell, no one even walked down the hallway outside of Baekhyun’s glass doors.

This morning, he had recited the CEO's schedule to him  — and even  _ though _ Baekhyun didn’t actually have to do that, his “boss” had always been adamant on starting off the secretary’s day in the worst way. Then he had checked his own schedule, full of hope, and once he had seen the empty slots, he sunk into his chair with relief.

The past week was swamped with meetings and visits to other companies, and even the CEO’s parents dropping by. Baekhyun did not know what it was about, and he didn’t try to ask. It was mR. pArK’s business.

So now, Baekhyun was attempting to urge the minutes by faster, but no matter how much he tried to help it, it was wearing him down quicker than he’d hoped it would.

Baekhyun offhandedly wondered if he could nap for the rest of the day. He ultimately decided against it, because if his employer even peeked out the door, he could catch him slacking (on what though?)

Stupid Park and his stupid money. If he was a middle class citizen like Baekhyun, he’d have had to  _ work  _ his way to the top instead of having everything handed to him and wasting away his university days dating everyone who merely glanced at his beanstalk looking ass.

Wait, he was at work. Baekhyun meant “beanstalk-like physique”.

Baekhyun suddenly jumped when the ringing of his desk phone echoed sharply in the previously dead silent room. He picked it up, mostly because he wanted the noise to stop.

“I need to see you.”

And then a click. That was it. His supposedly genius, articulate boss gave him a short and simple  _ order _ , and then hung up without a single ounce of politeness. Baekhyun would smack him if he weren’t the one signing his paychecks.

The secretary sighed before rising from his chair, stretching his arms above his head discreetly and flexing his thighs to get the blood flowing. He exhaled in satisfaction at the feeling. How long had he been sitting there?

He knocked twice on the tall, dark, wooden doors that were located some ways away from his desk. As a polite person should. He went in before the CEO could consent to his entrance however, only because it  _ was  _ said CEO who called him in not even ten seconds ago.

“Sir?” he asked rather gruffly, announcing his presence. The title tasted bland on his tongue even after all these years, like it was  _ stupid.  _ And it was.

Sometimes, the overgrown muppet didn’t even notice him standing there, even with those wire rimmed glasses perched on his nose. Baekhyun felt that he did it on purpose because he somehow knew the secretary hated conceding to the fact that he was his boss.

“Byun,” Park said, and Baekhyun had half the mind to mock him with another “sir”, because what was even the point saying Baekhyun’s name with his mouth? However, he walked forward instead, being the polite employee that he was. He also didn’t have a choice.

When Baekhyun approached the large, wooden desk that was the same color as his doors  —  covered with stacks of papers, pens, and post-it notes, the CEO simply held out an envelope between two of his fingers.

“What is this?” Baekhyun stared at it. Was it for him? Was this a raise, perhaps? No, Park would never. Perhaps he was getting demoted, or even fired. Though the thought upset Baekhyun, it didn’t surprise him.

“An invitation,” Park replied, jerking the envelope closer like the impatient blobfish he was.

Baekhyun finally took it tentatively. “For what?” He flipped it over in his hands, but there was no indication to what it may be.

Park sighed, busying himself with a pen and a stack of papers. “You could literally read it and find out yourself.”

“I’d prefer it if you told me and spared me your drama.”

The blond rolled his eyes, now scanning a paper from the stack. “It’s an invitation to my wedding.”

Baekhyun would have visibly gaped if he wasn’t so professional. Someone wanted to marry  _ this _ soggy sock? “Oh my, who have you kidnapped now, Mr. Park?” he mused, “shall I go back to my desk and await calls from the victim’s loved ones?”

Park’s lips thinned and he glared at the paper in his hand, but it made Baekhyun grin. “Do you get paid to slander, Byun?” he asked, not even looking at the man.

The secretary’s grin widened, “just being prepared, sir.”

The CEO said nothing after that, expression either grim or irritated, Baekhyun couldn’t tell. Still he took it as a dismissal and turned back with a smug smile. He walked back through the wooden doors and sat down at his desk again, sighing now that his boredom had been satiated.

He held up the envelope, ready to pop the seal, when his desk phone rang again. He picked it up.

“Byun,” he heard on the other line, and rolled his eyes. He just left; what could this deranged bat want now? And why the unnecessary use of his name, who else would answer it? Was Park thick in the head?

“Yes, Mr. Park?”

“Did Director Zhang call back to confirm the meeting dates?”

Baekhyun resisted the urge to sigh, because unfortunately, he was talking to his source of income. “Yes, he did. He called  _ yesterday _ , actually, and I do recall informing you,  _ sir. _ ” 

There was silence on the other line. Then, he heard an inhale, “well I forgot, so could you tell me again everything he said?”

Baekhyun clenched his jaw and forced a saccharine smile, ready to get up once more. “sure, sir.”

Now how did Park Chanyeol, CEO of NNG Industries and one of the world's youngest billionaires at twenty seven, find time out of his day just to infuriate dear old Baekhyun?

He had no idea.

\--

It was late by the time Baekhyun got home, almost twelve, and if the next was a weekday, he would have cried. Park had insisted he stay behind with him in case anyone needed something, which made him want to strangle the CEO, because there was absolutely no one else in the building.

He kicked his shoes off, not even turning the lights on, before face planting into his bed regardless of still being in his work clothes. Baekhyun finally let himself melt into the sheets, exhaling wearily because he knew it was the weekend. He could finally catch up on some sleep.

Baekhyun’s eyes popped open when he remembered the wedding invitation, and he frowned. Why would he go to Park’s wedding? Sometimes- no scratch that.  _ All  _ the time he wondered if the man was stupid.

Baekhyun wanted to decline right then, when Park had told him. But the opportunity to taunt was dangling within his reach, and Baekhyun was a simple man with simple urges.

He decided he would just tell him tomorrow, after a good night’s rest and over a plate of waffles- wait no, talking to Park would ruin those waffles. Did he even have to tell him? Was Park  _ seriously _ expecting him to show? Surely the CEO wasn’t  _ that  _ stupid.

He scoffed and rolled over onto his stomach, arms up above his head and his face buried in the crook of his elbow. He’d just worry about it tomorrow. Right now, sleep was calling him and who was Baekhyun to deny her?

Baekhyun was just about to drift off when a ping went off, indicating he had a text. He groaned, feeling around for his phone and holding it up to his face. He squinted at the brightness of the screen while he tried to read the new message.

_ Jongdae: Did you figure out if ur coming or not? _

Baekhyun sighed and debated answering, but ultimately sat up, because his best friend wouldn’t let it go anytime soon so he might as well get the conversation over with.

_ Baekhyun: I’m not _

He rolled his eyes at the onslaught of messages in all caps, complete with typos.

Jongdae was one of the only family he had — only  _ real  _ family. Baekhyun’s parents moved to the States when he was younger and never even bothered visiting him while he lived with his aunt. She was always busy, being a nurse and having to work overtime to support the both of them, so once he was legal, he moved out. 

Jongdae was his roommate and best friend, always cheering him up, always spending time with him. Jongdae and his parents would always insist Baekhyun spend Christmas with them, and even when the latter would refuse, they argued that he was family. Baekhyun was always truly grateful.

But now, he wished he could kick Jongdae’s ass. The ever so cheerful male wanted Baekhyun to spend the long weekend with him and his wife and daughter, and Baekhyun knew where to draw the line. Plus, hated being the third wheel, much less the  _ fourth. _

Baekhyun groaned in frustration at the argument playing out and how he was utterly losing (“I have a lot of laundry to do this weekend.” “you never even do your laundry unless you have nothing else to wear. Do you have anything else to wear?” “...yes.” “exactly.”). So naturally, he was going to lie his way out.

_ Baekhyun: I have work, Dae, I can’t come. _

_ Jongdae: Why would Mr. Park give you work, you lying whore, you are COMING _

_ Baekhyun: Because mR. pArK is an asshole, you s t u b b o r n whore. _

_ Jongdae: Come on, Baek, he wouldn’t bring that shit in during work.  _

Baekhyun could practically see him rolling his eyes while typing it out. He scrunched his nose. Lying to Jongdae was getting harder.

_ Baekhyun: Well he did. I can’t come. Why don’t you just treat your family to a movie instead of bringing your friend over, like a GOOD husband. _

_ Jongdae: Hey! I AM a good husband >:( _

Baekhyun smiled at that. Both because it meant Jongdae relented, and also because true to his word, his best friend really was a good husband.

The conversation after that leaned in Baekhyun’s favor, and soon after they played catch up, which mostly consisted of the brunet male complaining about his boss, Jongdae told him he had to go; something about his daughter wanting a coloring companion.

Baekhyun flopped back onto the bed, wiggling out of his suit jacket. He cringed while he tossed it on the beanbag in the corner, knowing it was wrinkled. He undid the first three buttons on his dress shirt and untucked it from his slacks, opening up twitter. 

He switched from his professional account to his personal, and scrolled through the timeline, looking through the memes and dog pictures. He hoped to just fall asleep at some point, but the previous conversation with Jongdae seemed to have woken him up.

Baekhyun sighed, wondered what to do about the wedding. It would be like a paid vacation, as the invitation had mentioned all of his expenses will be paid for. But it was  _ Park’s  _ wedding, meaning he would have to sit there and watch the man being all smiles, while committing his life to someone.

It was really unfair how happy he could be even after all he did to Baekhyun.

He clicked his tongue when he saw the wedding pictures of some people he followed. A lot of people were getting married apparently. It left a bitter feeling in the secretary. Former classmates his age were getting married, and what was he doing? Babysitting the human embodiment of a lemon bar with the charisma of a half cooked noodle, that’s what.

"i'm bored, anybody want a gate-crasher to their wedding or sum ?" he snorted as he typed it out. It’s not like anybody would see it; no one even interacted with him.

After a few more pet tiktoks and ice eating ASMR videos, he nodded off to sleep. 

This was going to be the last peaceful sleep he’d have in a while.

\--

_ 1 new message _

Baekhyun furrowed his brows at the notification, chewing on his breakfast muffin. He reached for his chicken breast protein shake as his throat dried while he waited for his direct message inbox to load.

_ Loey: Hey, is this for real? _

Baekhyun choked, having to put down the drink and phone so he could calm himself down for a bit. He rubbed at his chest once he could breathe properly and checked again.

_ Bobohu: Do I know you?  _

_ What an absolute weirdo _ , he thought. He put down the phone again, expecting the person to reply after a while. But his phone buzzed.

_ Loey: Idk, one of my classmates from uni that I follow liked your tweet so I saw it on my tl. But were you being fr? _

Classmate? A lot of Baekhyun’s former classmates followed him too, in fact all of his fifty-seven followers were his classmates from university. It obviously meant, by association, that whoever he was texting also went to university with him. But the problem was, he didn’t remember anyone named Loey.

_ Bobohu: Classmate? Who was it? _

_ Loey: Kim San Young. _

Baekhyun’s eyes narrowed. Normally, he doubted his gut. Baekhyun was a thinking kind of guy, using calculations and educational estimations, and ditching intuition. But he couldn’t lie this time; he was getting a weird feeling about this.

_ Bobohu: I went to uni with him too. But I don’t think I knew a Loey. _

_ Loey: Oh, Loey’s not my name. It’s Chanyeol _

Pause. No way.

_ Bobohu: As in.. Park? Chanyeol? _

_ Loey: Yeah! Oh wow, we went to school together? _

Baekhyun’s jaw was dropped, wide eyes staring at words on the screen. But the shock turned into confusion once he processed everything (why was he asking for a gate crasher?), and then quickly anger (whose life was he trying to mess up?).

_ Bobohu: What the fuck are you trying to do? Whose wedding are you ruining? _

_ Loey: I- dude what happened- _

_ Bobohu: It’s me, Mr. pARk _

The CEO didn’t reply for a bit, until he did. 

_ Loey: What kind of dumbass display name is “bobohu”? _

Baekhyun couldn’t even try to care about the affront, too worked up. 

_ Bobohu: Park you loaded dishwasher, whose wedding are you trying to mess up? _

_ Loey: Mine _

_ Loey: And you really shouldn’t be calling me names. I’m your boss, you twink _

Baekhyun’s jaw dropped at the utter  _ audacity _ , his thumbs tapping aggressively, 

_ Bobohu: Twink??? Real mature, bOsS. You gave me an INVITE today, why are you trying to get out of your marriage huh?? So you can dump her and then ruin someone else’s life? _

_ Loey: That's none of your business. _

_ Bobohu: It literally is ???? besides, i don’t want to go to your stupid wedding. _

_ Loey: People would find it strange if my own secretary did not attend my wedding. _

_ Bobohu: That you’re trying to get out of?? _

_ Loey: I just need to know if you were being serious, calm down. _

Baekhyun huffed in anger. Park was set to ruin someone else’s life and happiness, and without a single ounce of shame. 

_ Bobohu: Fuck you, bro. I’m not a fucking girlfriend snatcher like you. I just want free food, not a whole bride??? _

_ Loey: No, it’s me. Take me away. _

Baekhyun gaped, scoffing at the incredulity his actual  _ boss  _ was spewing. This had to be a prank.

_ Bobohu: You’re fucking insane. If you don’t like it that much, you could just say no dumbass _

_ Loey: It’s not that simple, Byun. Whatever, I don’t expect you to understand with that airpod shaped head of yours. Are you doing it or not? The wedding is in Ireland. Five star hotel, top notch dining. _

_ Bobohu: Airpod shaped- for someone who needs my help so badly, you’re not doing so well. _

_ Loey: I’m paying for it all, Byun. You really want to let this go? _

Baekhyun rolled his eyes. 

_ Bobohu: Oh boo hoo, Park, i can spend my weekend by myself. Go cry me a river. _

_ Loey: I’ll up your pay. _

His thumbs froze. His eyes narrowed.

On one hand, free,  _ amazing _ food, a chance to travel, and he got  _ paid _ to do it. Plus, Park was on the verge of  _ begging. _ It made Baekhyun’s pride sing.

On the other hand, Park was crushing someone’s hopes and dreams, and the brunet didn’t know if he wanted to be a part of that. That, and he was trying to  _ buy  _ Baekhyun’s time. Did he think he could just weasel his way through everything with a little bit of cash? 

_ Bobohu: I don’t think I want to be a part of your scheme to crush someone's hopes  _

_ Loey: It’s an arranged marriage I had no say in. Surely you can show at least a little humanity? _

Now  _ that  _ changed the game entirely. Sure, Park was an imbecile, a slimy pit of larvae, but even Baekhyun couldn’t be that much of a monster to him, even though he totally deserved it. Not when being awful was in fact Park’s job. Baekhyun clicked his tongue. Curse his kindness.

But Baekhyun was not going to give in just yet. Sure, he was leaning towards (read: rolling all over) agreeing, but this human version of Exeggutor wasn’t going to get his way so easily, not on Baekhyun’s watch.

_ Bobohu: Yeah, idk Park, what’s in it for me? _ _  
_ _  
_ _ Loey: I just told you??? You get paid extra??? I pay for all your expenses??? _

_ Bobohu: Okay fine, lemme rephrase: what satisfaction do i get out of this? _

_ Loey: You’re a little bitch aren’t you _

_ Bobohu: It’s getting late, park. I’m pretty tired from how especially shitty you were today. _

But Baekhyun didn’t move to put his phone down, he just watched the dots by the blond’s icon with a smirk. The feeling in his gut changed.

_ Loey: What do you want me to do, beg? _

Baekhyun snorted. 

_ Bobohu: Yes _

Perhaps the excuse of a humanoid was a little smarter than the secretary gave him credit for. A series of eye rolling emojis later, Park gave in.

_ Loey: please, Mr. Byun, do me the absolute HONOR of breaking me out of my wedding. I SO need your help. _

Although the secretary could practically taste the sarcasm oozing from the words, he cackled for a good three minutes, completely ignoring the annoyed texts Park kept sending.

_ Bobohu: Since you asked so politely :) I will grant you this favor. _

_ Loey: Don’t push it, midget. We’ll discuss this in my office on monday. _

Baekhyun sighed in contentment, the conversation melting away the irritation from the day and filling his heart with warmth like a hearty breakfast. He put his phone down, stretching in preparation for a happy sleep. Stupid Park thought he could get away with-

Wait.

_ Bobohu: YOU’RE MAKING ME COME TO WORK ON MONDAY?! _

\--

“Want anything?”

Baekhyun eyed the fancy bottle of alcohol suspiciously. He was no stranger, but the brunet would rather have gobbled up an entire meal given to him by a shady man with a cap pulled low over his eyes than accept a drink from Park. “No,” he declined, by no means politely.

Park just shrugged like an ape, pouring himself some in a crystal glass. He sat down across Baekhyun on a loveseat and popped open the top two buttons on his dress shirt. It was a pastel cobalt, by the way, and that along with his light hair made the CEO look like someone’s late-middle aged father at first glance.

They were in his office, and though Baekhyun could have been enjoying the afternoon at the dog park, his genius of a boss had called just as he was about to leave his stuffy apartment, with the bright idea of meeting right then. 

Park sipped the contents in his glass a few times, and set the glass on his armrest when he deemed it enough for now. “So how are you going to do this?”

“How am  _ I  _ gonna do this?” Baekhyun scoffed, “don’t act like you didn’t  _ beg _ me. You’re just as in it as I am.”

The blond rolled his eyes, reaching for his glass again, “I didn’t beg. Whatever. Just tell me.”

“I don’t fucking  _ know _ , do I look like some wedding crashing mastermind to you?”

Park sipped his drink boredly, abnormally long legs crossed and reminding Baekhyun of a spider that got squashed under a shoe. “I just thought you gremlins knew how to do evil things.”

The brunet male scoffed again, leaning back and pinching the bridge of his nose. Park truly was as immature as an eight year old. “I can’t  _ believe _ you are the same age as me.”

“Anyway, we are not here to bicker, Byun,” Park gave him a pointed look, as if  _ he  _ was the one who started it, and it resulted in an eye roll from the shorter, “let’s start with your plane ticket. You are leaving this Thursday, a day before my…” Park’s face tensed with discomfort, “ _ fiancée  _ and I are. I paid for an economy class-”

“Economy?! Oh, you really don’t want me doing this, huh?”

“Stop being  _ greedy _ , Byun,” Park sighed, shaking his head lightly and a few strands of his hair fell astray as if trying to run away (so they were appalled by him as well, huh?), “I’m paying for a five star hotel for you too, calm down.”

Baekhyun bristled, “so that's it? You pay for a plane ticket and a-”

“And the return flight,” the CEO reminded him.   
  
“Don’t interrupt me,” the smaller glared at him, “So  _ two  _ plane tickets and a fancy hotel room? And then what? How do we leave your wedding?”

Park shrugged again, watching the liquid in his glass as he twirled it, “rent a car.”

Baekhyun sighed, exasperated, “two things with that. One: people will see the license plate number, and two: you said you’d pay for everything.”

“Why does this feel like I’m spending more money on this escape plan than the actual wedding,” Park groaned, head tilted back to look at the ceiling because of the metaphoric pressure.

“Why can’t you just get married?” Baekhyun shook his head, stressed as well. Maybe he should have accepted a drink. “It would be so much-”

“Because I’m  _ gay _ , Byun,” the blond burst, normally wide eyes wider in incredulity, a stupid pout pulling his lips. Was he angry or did he want extra treats?

“Then  _ tell _ her, Park,” Baekhyun fired back.

“She said “I’m sure I can make you straight”!”

The secretary’s exasperated face quickly twisted into a grimace. “Ew.” With those nine words, he understood. 

Park leaned back, sighing and running a hand through his spaghetti string excuse of hair. “So I have no other choice.”

“You could tell your parents?”

Baekhyun watched Park’s features soften into a hopeless frown. “They want me to go through with it. Said it’ll be good for the company.”

The brunet pursed his lips, feeling a little out of place. Byun Baekhyun and Park Chanyeol are always at each other’s throats, neck and neck with the fire in their gazes burning hotter than the sun. They aren’t listening to each other’s sob stories.

Still he figured maybe he should be polite. And he  _ could _ be a little polite along with nosy, so he asked, “who is she, anyway?”

Park leaned his head back, staring up at the ceiling, “The heiress to EssEme Shareholdings.”

Baekhyun nodded with a little “ah”. He knew her- well, knew  _ of  _ her; top bachelorette in South Korea, and in line for some insane money. Choi Jin Soo. Everyone knew her. Such a shame she was one of  _ those  _ hets.

Baekhyun glanced towards the taller male from time to time, a little unnerved by his silence. One of them always had something to say around each other, and just because Baekhyun worked for the latter, didn’t mean he ceased the feud, albeit a little watered down by now.

But this silence was off-putting, and Baekhyun’s heightened senses picked up things he normally wouldn’t give a shit about. The air in the office was thin and cold courtesy of said office taking up the whole west corner of the upper two floors, and the cemented wooden tile looked especially eye-catching today. But most troublingly, he could sense the latter was upset. 

“I’ll park the car a street or two down,” he said, voice quiet and stiff while smoothing over his sleeve cuff with his thumb. He wasn’t looking at Park, but he knew he had caught his attention, “we’ll have to run, though, so eat a heavy breakfast.”

Park’s relieved sigh was the only thing he heard in the room, yet it strangely made him feel a bit lighter too.

\--

The sympathy or whatever softhearted bullshit the secretary had felt during the talk on Monday did not linger or come back, however. It was back to jests, passive aggression, and heated stare downs for the two of them. Especially now, when Baekhyun was called in to help Park carry his things for an impromptu meeting.

“Are you sure you didn’t get the memo earlier?” Park asked, the blond strands of hair in his updo close to straying as his hands hastily thumbed through the papers strewn across his desk. “You can tell me if you were incompetent, Byun, it’s okay. I’ll give you two more strikes.”

Baekhyun couldn’t take his eyes away from the strand of hair that had escaped, falling over his forehead in a graceful arch. Although, it looked greasy and slimy, probably from the products used to make the CEO’s blanched hair defy gravity. “I assure you, Mr. Park, the email came in three minutes ago. I would never give you the satisfaction of finding me incompetent.”

“What a sweet thing to say.” His words contrasted from his presence however: instead of being suave and delicious, with his face flushed, dress shirt rustled, and forehead wrinkled, Park was the epitome of (for lack of a more fitting term) a  _ mess _ . 

Well, the brunet could definitely think of better terms, such as _ junkyard  _ or _ bucket of worms _ , but for simplicity’s sake, he would stick to  _ mess _ . And the strand of hair had  _ yet  _ to be fixed.

Park sighed, straightening up. He finally looked towards Baekhyun and pushed two folders into his hold, then closed his laptop and placed it also in Baekhyun’s arms. He shrugged on his suit that was plucked from where it was strewn on his swivel chair, and finally walked around his desk to leave the office. It was Baekhyun’s clue to follow.

“Your hair is a bit unkempt, sir,” Baekhyun called out just as Park opened the wooden door, “please fix it before I blow torch the stray hairs.”

Park’s lips pursed, and he turned away from Baekhyun to step out of the room. The secretary clicked his tongue in annoyance, hurrying to the door before it closed on him. He slipped through just as it was close to shutting, scowling as the laptop kept trying to slip out of his arms. All of those unnecessary hours at the gym and for what, Park could have held these himself just fine. 

The walk to the meeting room was fairly short. Baekhyun watched as Park held the door open for one of the board directors, Jeon Dae Young. He was a rather short man, but then again, everyone looked short next to Park. The skyscraper he was.

When the older man went in, Park shot Baekhyun a look. The secretary pursed his lips but went to hold the door in his stead. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes as the CEO nodded with a smug twitch of his lips only he could see, the strand of hair still astray, and went into the meeting room.

The brunet set the folders and laptop on the table in front of Park. The room was on the higher floors, meaning a sunlit room courtesy of the floor to ceiling windows. There was a long meeting table made of glass, where the blond CEO sat at the head, and everyone else slowly filled in the seats left. Baekhyun would sit on Park’s right, to cater to his every demand.

Park checked his Rolex and pulled his gray suit tighter to himself. He cleared his throat, clasping his hands on the table. “Can someone inform me of the purpose of this meeting?”

One of the board directors smiled, “no need to worry, Mr. Park, there is no problem. We just wanted to discuss Ms. Choi.” 

Baekhyun couldn’t help raising an eyebrow in interest. This meeting might be more interesting than he thought. He could see somewhat of a frown on the CEO’s face, although he played it off as immersion. “What is there to discuss?”

“Well, she would clearly have some influence in the company, sir,” the previous board director, Jeon Dae Young, spoke up, “perhaps we should discuss which branches you would hand over to her and whether we should merge NNG Industries and EssEme Shareholdings?”

Park’s brows were furrowed, “I do not think it is necessary to discuss anything this early.”

“But sir, the wedding is this week,” another tried.

“I am aware of that, Mr. Kang,” Park’s mouth pinched, “which is why I would prefer to focus on it first. I am stressed enough as it is, especially with my mother and father fussing over every detail.”

“That is understandable sir, but as the CEO-”

Baekhyun jumped when Park abruptly stood, his chair sliding back across the marble floor rather gracefully. “Please do not hound me with issues that can be easily dealt with in the future and then proceed to lecture me on how to do my job.”

With that, he left, not even signaling to Baekhyun that he would. The men in the room exchanged glances and frowns, surprised murmurs buzzing in throughout the air. Baekhyun gathered the files and laptop in his arms and hurried after the blond. 

It seemed as though Park had decided to use his long legs today, because he was nowhere to be seen in the halls and by the time the secretary had gotten to the office, he was already there: leaned against his dark oak desk, looking down at the skyline.

Baekhyun placed the items in his arms down, ready to leave Park to his brooding without uttering a word. However before he could sneak out, the CEO’s low voice, filled with something Baekhyun never heard from him before in all the years of knowing him, stopped him.

“It... the wedding. Will it happen?”

Baekhyun stared at his wide back, trying to figure out what was happening. What a peculiar question to come out of Park’s mouth.

The taller's shoulders seemed to heave, though his breath was quiet. He was still, unnervingly so, until Baekhyun trailed his eyes down his arm and saw his fingers curled and restless.

The more he stared at the back of his head, the more he realized the thing in Park’s voice was creeping fear.  _ Helpless vulnerability. _

And the man before him didn’t deserve his golden sympathy, or any sympathy at all. Everything happening to him: Baekhyun considered it karma. But a strange feeling bubbled up inside the brunet, something he couldn’t identify.

And so, for some strange reason he could never fathom or want to think back to, Baekhyun pursed his lips again.

“I already told you sir: I wouldn’t give you the satisfaction of finding me incompetent.”

\--

_ To be twenty one and heartbroken, drowning it away with alcohol now that he was legal: that was not what Baekhyun pictured himself doing one year ago. _

_ Twenty year old Baekhyun had a pretty girlfriend, with silky black hair down to her waist, and gorgeous black eyes with all the love in the world. And only for him.  _

_ Or maybe not, considering what he saw half an hour ago. _

_ Twenty year old Baekhyun did not think he’d be drinking away his breakup, did not think he’d be dealing with it like a teenager, who stole bottles from their parents’ wine cabinet in a daze. _

_ But every time he closed his eyes, he saw familiar soft, alabaster skin up against tanner, rougher skin; familiar, only because Baekhyun had bruised it a couple times. So he took another shot of tequila and it would all distort and slip away. Just until he fell back into the same train of thought, and hence, ended up taking another shot. _

_ Baekhyun remembered the despair he felt, watching her tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. She was only in an oversized t-shirt, one he didn’t recognize but didn’t have to, looking down at the floor instead of into his eyes. _

_ “I think I fell out of love with you. Sorry, Baekhyun-ah.” _

_ And just like that, those words brought a sting to Baekhyun’s sore eyes. The burn down his throat changed the purpose of the sting, so he figured he would keep at it. Maybe he would be lucky enough to end up with alcohol poisoning. _

_ But somehow, Baekhyun just ended up thinking “why him? Why  _ him _?”, because maybe it hurt so much  _ because  _ of him. Maybe if it was literally anyone else, it wouldn’t hurt so bad. Because this felt like losing, and not just in one way. Baekhyun had lost the love of his life and he lost her  _ to  _ the person he hated the most.  _

_ Park Chanyeol. _

_ - _

_ “Eat something!” _

_ “Can’t, Dae, I need to go!” _

_ His roommate clicked his tongue and pulled on the back of his shirt. Baekhyun rolled his eyes, but turned to face him. _

_ “Work starts in another hour. Even if you go now, you’ll be thirty minutes early,” Jongdae handed him a plate of bacon and eggs, “eat something. You’re already nervous and it’ll be worse if you’re hungry.” _

_ Baekhyun made a grand show of rolling his eyes and huffing, before hopping onto the counter. “Fine. Only because my wife insists.” _

_ Jongdae chuckled, munching on his own bacon. “Calm down, you’re so jittery.” _

_ “How am I supposed to calm down?” his best friend asked with a mouthful, “this is my first big paying job.” _

_ “You’ll do great, Baek. You already passed the interview.” _

_ He nodded, chewing thoughtfully. Then, he took a breath, “but isn’t it weird that I was hired? Like, you’d think they’d hire someone more senior and with more experience to be a secretary.” _

_ Jongdae shrugged, his in-dire-need-of-a-trim bangs brushing at his lashes. “Don’t think about all that. If it's a scam, you can just get out of there.” _

_ Baekhyun snorted as got down from the counter and took his glass of orange juice, “not unless they harvest my kidneys first.” _

_ The time read seven o’clock, meaning he had a five minute wait for the subway and then a ten minute ride to work. He would still be a half an hour early. The thought eased his nerves a bit. _

_ Jongdae watched him look himself over in the full body mirror, eyeing the ironed button up shirt, neatly fitted slacks, and matching suit jacket. “What use would they have for them, given the alcoholic tendencies you inhibit?” _

_ Baekhyun paused as he was swinging the door open and bursted out a laugh, no doubtedly able to be heard down the hall, “that’s liver, you idiot.” _

_ “Well I’m not the alcoholic. Good luck today, my husband.” _

_ “I’ll buy you some flowers when I get back,” Baekhyun snorted, lingering outside the door as if he could put off going to work. _

_ “No thank you,” Jongdae stepped forward, hand on the doorknob, “I would appreciate some stacks of cash instead. Now go.” _

_ Being shooed off, Baekhyun stepped away and headed for the elevator, heaving a big sigh. _

_ The walk to the subway was shorter than he expected, although it might be because he zoned off through most of it. The train was there as soon as he stepped foot onto the platform, seemingly early.  _

_ Baekhyun stepped on and chose a seat. He sighed and pulled his phone and earbuds out. _

_ It’s been two years since he had graduated with good grades, amongst the top students in his grade. He then moved in with Jongdae, both of them working decent paying jobs; a simple upgrade from the minimum wage ones. _

_ This was the first  _ actual  _ job Baekhyun scored, and he was no doubt nervous. The company was a big one so he was a bit suspicious as to why they decided to hire him, but Jongdae had told him not to talk himself down. _

_ Baekhyun thought about where he was now, and back to where he started from. He was always a studious person, always someone his parents were proud of. He worked hard to help them out, even though they insisted his happiness was enough for them. _

_ Minutes later, the train slowed to a stop and Baekhyun stood, biting his lip as he got closer to the building. A short walk from the subway, and he could see the shining glass exterior and clean, impressive branding on the face of it: NNG INDUSTRIES. _

_ He stared up at the building, tall and foreboding and seemingly going on forever, going on beyond the glare of the sun. It seemed to stand strong and Baekhyun felt as if it were speaking to him, saying he didn’t belong. That he should turn back. _

_ But this was the beginning for Baekhyun, and his aunt always told him to never let go of a beginning. _

_ So with a deep breath, his hands smoothing the front of his suit jacket, he straightened his shoulders and walked in. _

_ The interior was glossy, sophisticated, and smelled of promise. Baekhyun went forward to the reception desk. The woman looked up at him and smiled. Her hair was pulled back into a neat and simple ponytail, her uniform crisp and professional, and her smile kind. She fit in perfectly with her environment, and Baekhyun couldn’t help but feel as if he were trespassing. _

_ “May I help you?” _

_ With his practiced professional smile, Baekhyun responded. “Hi. I’m the newly hired secretary.” _

_ Her eyes glinted with recognition and she nodded. “Just take the elevator to the fifteenth floor. I’ll notify the CEO.” _

_ Baekhyun thanked her and let her swipe her card for him for the employee doors to open. He quickly found the elevators and stepped inside. _

_ The ride to the fifteenth floor was nerve racking, but Baekhyun kept his breathing under control. There was no one else in the elevator, so he let himself speak some words of encouragement, occasionally catching himself rambling. _

_ The doors opened finally, and as he stepped out he was met with a petite man. He wore a crisp black suit with matching slacks, black hair styled into a comma style, and his youthful eyes crinkled as he offered a warm smile, making Baekhyun wonder if the man was younger than him. _

_ “My name is Kim Minseok,” he said, his voice lilting and carrying out like a tinkling of a bell, “I was the previous secretary.” _

_ Baekhyun took the hand he extended and gave him a firm handshake, “Byun Baekhyun. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” _

_ “Likewise,” Mr. Kim chuckled, “Mr. Park asked me to escort you to his office.” _

_ Nodding, Baekhyun let him lead the way. He glanced at him now and then, observing the confident and put-together way he carried himself. He wondered if he could ever do the same. _

_ “I’ve worked here since I was nineteen,” Mr. Kim said, and Baekhyun faced him in surprise. Nineteen? How old was he now? _

_ As if hearing his thoughts, the man chuckled, “I am twenty seven now. I started off as an intern, and after a bit, I got promoted.” _

_ Twenty seven?! How was that possible? Baekhyun all but gaped at him, and if the man noticed, he did not say. Finally, the younger found his voice.  _

_ “Why do they need a new secretary?” he asked, “you seem more than capable.” _

_ “Ah,” he scratched his cheek, “the CEO is passing on the company to his son in a month. He felt that his son having an older secretary would be improper. The kid is like my younger brother, but it’s true he has a sharp tongue.” _

_ Baekhyun nodded. So his boss was to be either his age or older than him. Great, he thought grimly. _

_ They stopped before big wooden doors, and Baekhyun watched as Mr. Kim knocked, then pulled one open.  _

_ As Baekhyun stepped in after him, he noted the furthest wall entirely made of glass, letting in plenty of light and a view over the skyline. He could make out the silhouette of the CEO and he felt a squeeze in his chest as apprehension hit him suddenly. _

_ “Mr. Byun,” the CEO greeted. He stood and extended his hand for Baekhyun to shake. _

_ “Hello, Mr. Park,” Baekhyun bowed, and the older man nodded back with a smile, letting go to gesture at the seat across from him. _

_ “Please, sit,” he insisted, “I would have met you myself, but I needed to review a report. I take it you have met Minseok?” _

_ “Yes, sir,” Baekhyun nodded. _

_ The CEO nodded back. “You may leave, Minseok. And call in my son, please,” he told the man standing next to his desk. Mr. Kim nodded, taking his leave. _

_ Baekhyun registered the closing sound of the door behind him, and suddenly they were alone. The CEO seemed like anyone would expect one to look; sharp eyes, strong brow bone, sharp nose bridge, and few gray hairs streaking his black updo. The only indication of this man’s gentleness, if at all, were the laugh lines at his eyes and cheeks. _

_ “Now, you’ll work with Minseok for a month until my son takes over,” he said, “he’ll teach you anything you need to know and the work hours are the typical nine to five. The only thing I really have to tell you about is my son.” _

_ Baekhyun frowned slightly, but nodded nonetheless. This man must be scary if even his father is advising caution. _

_ “He is still young, and he’s always been a hot head, but he’s tamed himself now. He’s the same age as you, I believe,” he chuckled, “not to worry, though. He knows how to be professional.” _

_ The CEO went on to give a list of things Baekhyun might want to keep in mind around the future CEO. He seems like high maintenance, Baekhyun thought. _

_ There was a knock on the door, and it seemed heavier than Mr. Kim’s. He didn’t turn back as he heard it open, but the CEO perked up in front of him. _

_ “Ah yes, and my son. He’ll be the one you work under, since he’s taking over the company next month.” _

_ Baekhyun looked up at the man standing next to the desk. _

_ And Baekhyun couldn’t look away, because even with the sculpted face because of the loss of baby fat, even with the blond updo, even with broader build, Baekhyun still knew him. Even after all those years, he looked at him and he still saw haughtiness and pretension. _

_ As Baekhyun watched, his eyebrow raised and the corner of his lip lifted in a smirk. It burned inside Baekhyun and clogged up his being with smoke. _

_ Park Chanyeol. _

\--

Days later, Baekhyun was in Ireland.

He had slept marvelously in his five star hotel suite; the comforter and pillows seemingly made of clouds as he practically  _ felt  _ them lulling him under. He did not think about what was about to happen. He dreamt of Koi fish in ponds that night.

When he woke up, he contemplated whether to take a bath or a shower and decided on a bath in the end. There was a complementary bath bomb that smelled of roses, and the shampoo, soaps, and body gel smelled like raspberries. Baekhyun sighed happily, swishing the water around. He barely ever took baths, and the bathtub was deep, the warm water up to his shoulders. He might as well relax now to make up for for all the times he will not be able to in the week to come.

After drying himself up with the fluffy white towel, he ran downstairs to grab some breakfast. The buffet was endless, and Baekhyun piled up all the sweet meals he could. He added a slice of cake, and absentmindedly thought of how Jongdae would tell him it was not breakfast if he were there. But the brunet’s argument was that if there can be breakfast muffins, there can be breakfast cakes.

All the while, he refused to think of what he was about to attempt. He tried not to look at the clock while munching on his toast, as if it would put off the whole reason he was in Ireland.

Park, the greasy tomato, had not bought him a suit. Baekhyun forgot to ask in the first place, but it did not matter since he brought one anyway, like the capable secretary he was. It was black and tailored to fit him like a glove. The slacks felt comfortable and hugged his hips and thighs nicely. Oh, what a shame it was all for some pebble sized testicle’s wedding.

After an hour or so of watching TV and going over his well thought out plan in his hotel room, he gathered up his small backpack and the money Park had withdrawn for the both of them.

He got into his rented car, placed his bag in the backseat, and started off to the venue. The windows were tinted, in case someone could recognize them. The wheel was on the right side of the car in Ireland, and driving on the left side of the road was a little strange, but what kind of a secretary would Baekhyun be if he could not handle a simple adjustment like that?

The drive was silent, even though he was by himself. Baekhyun did not turn the radio or music on. He didn’t even notice the silence at first, seemingly lost in thought, but the subject would be lost to him when he would try thinking about it again.

He wondered briefly how Park would even handle the media and publicity after all of this got out and blew up, as it always did. Did the man have a plan of his own? Surely he was not the same idiot he was in college.

But then the secretary shook away those thoughts. That was not his business. If Park wanted to get himself into trouble, then that was his problem. The only thing Baekhyun should be worrying about was if his pay was to be affected.

Soon, he arrived at his destination. He pulled into a neighborhood a mile or two away from the wedding hall. The venue could be seen from a distance, the building visible over the peaks and tufts of trees. Baekhyun decided to park the car in a tucked away street. He got out, shutting the door and looking around. 

It was a dead end, tucked away within some shrubbery and away from houses. It was a work day anyway, and early in the evening. It was a safe spot, he concluded.

He continued on foot as planned. The weather was chilly, but the suit kept him warm, along with the weight of the knowledge of the feat he was about to attempt. He tried to just seem as if he were on a walk, although it might be strange, now that he thought about it, because who the hell takes walks in suits?

Truth be told, the adrenaline had not left his body and the gravity of the situation had not settled in. Baekhyun  _ knew  _ what he was about to do and he knew it was on a large scale, but somehow it still just felt as if he were filing, checking schedules, and everything else he did on a regular day at work.

His eyes absently observed the cracks in the sidewalk, occasionally with a small flower and moss growing between it. This was going to be a long week, he just knew it. 

God, what was he thinking? 

Spending a week with Park? The man that hated him and he hated, and who was also coincidentally his boss? But was also a gigantic man-child? Baekhyun paused mid step. Would it be too late to bail?

Weighing the pros and cons, his thoughts bounced back to the meeting that took place, the one that showed how important all of this was and how much was expected of Park. Baekhyun thought back to Park’s restless fingers as he watched over the skyline, seeking reassurance in  _ Baekhyun _ of all people. 

And he remembered the not-quite promise he made, to himself mostly. 

_ I wouldn’t give you the satisfaction of finding me incompetent. _

At some point, between getting lost in his thoughts and admiring the pristine scenery, he made it to the venue. 

The building was huge, like a palace with it’s creme walls, and it did nothing to help his inner turmoil. He suddenly found himself wondering what would happen if they were to get caught. The whole place up close was so intimidating. Baekhyun started to get antsy. It could not be possible to make it out, especially because there had to be  _ someone _ walking around who would spot them.

The walls seemed to go on the more he lifted his head to look, the shadow it cast cold and unwelcoming. He forced the lump in his throat down. The walls looked tough and harsh, and he found his legs taking him past the venue, turning past the side of it. The first place he thought of was the back, since he knew guests had not arrived yet so no one would be there. He could ask Park to come out back.

The back of the building was empty, as he expected, but Baekhyun knew he shouldn’t wait. He pulled out his phone to text Park.

_ Baekhyun: I can’t meet you inside, you’ll have to come out back _

He shifted his weight, impatient. What if the chewed eraser top didn’t see it in time?

_ Park: what the fuck do you mean _

_ Park: How am I going to get out of here unnoticed? _

Baekhyun sighed. At least the man saw it. 

_ Baekhyun: say you need to get something- i don't know! Just get out here. I can’t just walk through the front gates! _

Baekhyun watched the dots appear then disappear, then appear after a few seconds.

_ Park: fine _

The secretary sighed. Now all he had to do was wait and avoid being seen. He peeked inside. The theme seemed to be gold, white, and a striking hot pink, the flowers and expensive looking cloth draped gracefully along the arcs.

He could see the luxurious tablecloths and massive flower centerpieces, and to be honest, it looked a bit gaudy and overwhelming to Baekhyun. But then again, people with money will buy everything they want.

Baekhyun shifted his weight onto his other leg anxiously, aware of the gravel under his shoe causing slight discomfort. How long was this Six Piece Chicken McNobody going to be? Tapping his foot, he unlocked his phone again, typing away nervously. He was just about to hit send when he heard footsteps of running, and looked up, tensed, to thankfully see it was just Park. Tall, beanpole legged Park in his pristine black wedding suit. 

Revolting.

“I think they’ll notice soon that I'm gone,” Park panted, not a single hair in his updo out of place. The panting looked exaggerated too, because he had obviously hardly broken a sweat, “how far away is the car?”

_ Car…  _

Baekhyun paled.  _ Shit. _

He had forgotten to park the car closer to the back of the venue. There was no way they could run, especially with the burnt bean the world called an accomplished CEO next to him. Baekhyun briefly tried to imagine the sight of Park running alongside him, the image of a newborn giraffe flailing its limbs uselessly coming to mind. He tried not to smile; they were in a serious predicament. 

All in all, they were sure to be caught trying to get to the car.

“What?” Park asked, tone dreading and eyes wide, because he _knew_ what was happening. 

“Nothing, I just…” Baekhyun looked around, searching. There had to be a car right? At this point, it literally did not matter which one. Baekhyun would hotwire it if he had to. “Need to…”

His eyes stopped.  _ Oh my goodness, it’s perfect. _

“Improvise.”

Park followed his gaze and groaned immediately. “No way.”

“Yes way.” 

Baekhyun ran. He didn’t wait or look back to confirm if Park was following him, knowing he would anyway because what other choice did he have, and sprinted ahead.

“Byun don’t fucking wreck that car, it cost a fortune!”

Baekhyun simply snorted as he hopped into the brand new, white and shiny convertible McLaren. The license plate on the back said “married”. It was disgustingly corny.

Baekhyun started searching around the seats, on the floor, the dashboard, hands racing to pick up the mats and blindly feel under the seat, but it was all  _ clean _ . He couldn’t find the keys.

There was a hop and a rush of wind, the car bouncing with Park’s weight. “Hurry up, Byun,” he huffed, looking back at the gate to the hall anxiously. 

“I can’t find the keys,” Baekhyun mumbled, looking around with growing franticness. It caught onto Park, and soon he was looking too. 

He jammed his abnormal sized hand into the glove box, and Baekhyun was too anxious to ask him if he was dropped a couple times on his head before he was even born because he already looked there. He was close to snapping and doing so anyway though, irritation being a side effect of anxiety for him, when Park popped open the glove box and let out a relieved noise.

The previous ten seconds did not happen in Baekhyun’s book. It did not.

Park shoved the keys into Baekhyun’s hands, and Baekhyun jammed the keys in and turned on the ignition. The car roared to life, vibrations shaking up Baekhyun’s already weak tummy, making him feel as if he was seconds away from hurling, and Park reached over to press a button. The hood started to come up overhead.

Baekhyun exhaled to settle his nerves, shifting the gear stick, then pressed on the gas and managed to maneuver the car out the gravelly area and into the street, the tire crunching noise seeming loud to Baekhyun. But there seemed to be minimal security and no police cars in the back though, which he was immensely thankful for. 

It was silent; neither of them said a word. The brunet was nervous that someone might notice them, as the car's windows were not tinted, and the license plate was odd. His muscles were tight and his brain was running on overdrive.

Eventually, when they got far away enough from the venue, Baekhyun’s eyes stopped darting around restlessly. His fingers loosened on the wheel from the knuckle-white grip he didn’t even notice they were in. The two of them drove on quietly, the adrenaline slowly draining out of their system.

“You didn’t run off with the money I withdrew for you, right?” Park asked. Baekhyun snorted at the sheer amount of stupidity. Park truly was as perceptive as a hammer.

“You dunce, you fool, you monstrous moron.”

Park blinked. “What.”

“If I wanted to run off with your money, I wouldn’t be here.”

He seemed to consider this. “Okay. What now?”

Baekhyun shrugged, “Dunno. I’ll figure it out by the time the cops are onto us.”

“Wait, what?!”   


“Did you think they wouldn’t know about this?!”

\--

After switching cars and a bickering session focused on Baekhyun refusing to let Park drive, the secretary pulled up at a thrift store. 

“Why are we here?” Park asked, irked. It satisfied Baekhyun.

“Unless we are Men In Black and you had substantial evidence to back it up, it would be too obvious if we drove around in suits.”

Park grunted like an uncivilized imbecile, wandering off to sort through the racks of clothing. Baekhyun looked through some shelves and found a few hoodies that he could wear, along with cargo pants and oversized t-shirts. He wanted to be comfortable, but at the same time not unseemly. He chose only three outfits, since there was really no need to change anyway, being in the car for a while.

He did look for hats, however, because someone on the run obviously needed those. He had masks in his bag, as he was a sanitary human being, so there was no need to buy those.

He put the clothes down on the counter, looking around the store as the bored teenage girl checked them out for him, barely sparing him a glance. Somehow, Baekhyun thought it would be one of the last times no one would notice him.

The store was like any other thrift store, with green and white walls and colorful clothing on the racks. A lot of items were seemingly misplaced, but it made sense as there was no one else in the store, especially not another employee that could help rearrange misplaced merchandise.

Once she finished bagging up the clothes, he took them and wandered back to where he heard Park sifting through clothes, his old man hair peeking above a pile of shirts.

The secretary was ready to leave the store, starting to get antsy. If someone happened to pass by that knew either of them, everything would be over before it started, and Baekhyun did not want to go to jail in a foreign country. Who would bring him black bean noodles in jail?

He was about to say as much when he saw what the inbred coat hanger was up to. Baekhyun snorted.

Park was currently regarding a big, woolen jacket and a strange, two toned jacket with uneven ends very seriously. His eyes were wider than they normally were, fishy lips in a toddler-esque pout, and brows drawn in to overall make his expression look incredulous. He looked up at the sound.

“Which of these is better?”

Baekhyun wheezed breathlessly. “You get to run away and choose a new life and you’re gonna wear that?”

Park blinked, “I need inconspicuous clothes!”

“What you  _ need _ is a mirror,” he rolled his eyes, turning away to pick up a random hoodie. It was oversized and black, but good enough and  _ way  _ better than the atrocity the blond held in his hands, “try this.”

Park grumbled to himself, like a child being dressed by his mother, and disappeared into one of the stalls to change. Baekhyun busied himself by looking for more clothing, and found some hats for the giant as well to hide that ungodly hair and those satellite ears.

Baekhyun turned at the sound of a door opening. He was met with a grumpy CEO swaddled in an oversized hoodie, which was a feat in and of itself considering how huge the man himself was. 

“Happy?” the man asked.

“It looks fine,” Baekhyun nodded in approval, lips twitching, “but you know what it could use?”

“What.”

“This wig,” the secretary snickered, holding up a jet black wig, the strands long enough to reach down one’s back.

“Keep being a little bitch and I'll hide your stuff on top of the refrigerator,” the CEO blustered, hunching over as the clothes were pushed into his arms. He grumbled and went over to pay for them, while Baekhyun chortled as he followed. He placed the wig on the counter.

“We are  _ not _ here to play dress up,” Park hissed, trying to grab the wig, but Baekhyun got it first and held it away and out of his reach. He was aware of the cashier glancing at them amusedly.

“Well  _ I  _ want it.”

Baekhyun smirked smugly as the wig was scanned and placed in a bag, and once he paid, he left Park to carry the items. He skipped back to the back of the store, just to look around for anything else they might have forgotten to buy or if they left something behind.

The bell on the door rang out and Park turned towards it first. When Baekhyun glanced at him, his eyes were growing to the size of saucers and his body froze, making him seem like a cardboard cut out at a carnival.

“What?” Baekhyun snorted at the image of kids standing in front of him and crying when they learned that they were too short to ride.

“I know him,” the CEO whisper shouted, shuffling further into the store, “he’s a manager at one of the branches.”

Baekhyun glanced at the man, eyes wide and dread burning a hole in his gut, “holy shit. What is he doing here?”

They just watched, frozen, as the man, dressed in a suit, scanned through the knick knacks at the counter.

Baekhyun gasped delightedly, a  _ hilarious  _ thought occurring to him, “don’t tell me-”

“He better not be buying me a gift!”

The secretary tried his hardest not to guffaw out loud, lest he attract attention. “From here?”

Park sulked, bottom lip jutting out to form an ugly pout, “...I always thought he was a flake.” He rolled his eyes as Baekhyun snickered behind his hand, the man turning red as he tried to contain himself. “Whatever. We need to get out of here.”

Baekhyun was about to suggest sneaking out from the furthest end until he heard someone call out to him in English, voice  _ definitely _ not belonging to a teenage Irish girl, and panicked. His body moved before his mind could catch up.

“Wh- wha-”

Purely on impulse, he pushed Park into the wall behind him. He jammed his hands into the white hair, pushing most of it back into the hoodie and out of sight. Tightening his grip, he pulled the man closer, making him hunch down to stand face to face with him.

The two just stared at each other, eyes wide for different reasons. Baekhyun’s eyes wide in panic, and Park’s wide in incredulity. 

Their faces were close enough that if they moved in any more, their eyelashes would brush the others skin. Baekhyun could feel Park’s uneven breathing against his  _ lips _ , yet he continued to angle their faces so Park’s would be hidden even though he was facing the manager. 

Baekhyun  _ truly  _ needed to get paid more.

“What the  _ fuck _ are you doing?!” Park whispered practically  _ onto  _ his lips, voice hoarse.

“Just shut the fuck up unless you want to get married today.”

Thankfully, that shut him right up. Either that, or he was too shocked to speak. Baekhyun disregarded the heat in his face as adrenaline, and ignored the fact that his hands in the CEO’s hair were probably getting clammy. Park stood there awkwardly with bags in his hands, hunched over and crowded into the wall.

“O-oh-” they heard then, “sorry, I’ll-”

They heard footsteps retreating, yet Baekhyun kept his eyes squeezed shut. It wasn’t until they heard his voice again, this time further away, to the point of it being inaudible and hence not directed towards them, that Park spoke up.

“You’re going to rip out my hair.”

Baekhyun opened his eyes to Park’s grimacing face. He unclenched his fingers. Apparently, the stress of being caught made him tighten his fingers in the man's hair. When his hands retreated, Park winced and rubbed at his head over the hoodie, still a bit crouched.

Baekhyun watched. His hair was going to fall out anyway, with the amount he bleaches it.

The smaller’s heart was pounding.  _ Anxiety _ , he told himself,  _ I could have gone to Irish jail. _

He grabbed Park’s elbow, pulling him to the far end of the store, “Let’s go.”

Crouching behind racks of clothes and shelves, they managed to make it out the door before the manager decided to explore the back of the store.

They got into the car silently. Baekhyun turned on the ignition as Park threw the bags into the back seat. He noticed his hood had fallen back and swallowed at the absolute mess of hair Park was sporting. He stubbornly pushed away the thought of  _ I did that _ while he watched from the corner of his eye as the taller tried to smooth it out blindly.

The ride was silent and at some point, the sun started to set. All that could be heard was the sound of driving and the map instructions from the GPS. 

Baekhyun decided it was best to turn their phones off and only use them when it was necessary. Of course, the spoiled radish next to him whined and whined, complaining that it would be boring without his phone, and tried to convince him to at least just let him play games on it. What a child.

Said child stretched noisily next to him, legs way too long to be properly stretched. “Should we pull over and sleep or something?” he asked.

“I would like to get this over with as soon as possible,” Baekhyun mumbled, “so I’ll stay awake and drive.”

“Suit yourself.”

With that, Park curled his gigantic body up and nodded off in a second. Baekhyun finally looked his way. His hair was still a mess, and the sight made him purse his lips because of some unknown emotion. His hands were clenched and half hidden in his sleeves, and his legs were too long to be curled under him, but he still seemed comfortable.

Baekhyun scoffed as the man started mumbling, his brows furrowing till they became one and lips puffing.  _ His fiancée definitely is not missing out _ , he thought, an amused smile at the thought. 

The secretary sighed, the days exhaustion catching up to him slowly. But he had to drive. He wanted to get home faster.

\--

The sun was peeking above the horizon, clouds lighting up to become a fiery red. Baekhyun squeezed his eyes momentarily to try to push away the strain. He sighed, fighting back a yawn. Park was still snoring away, mouth open to make him look like a fish. Like those red bean fish breads.

Baekhyun hoped with some of the sleep he missed out on, they covered some distance that brought them closer to their destination: London.

A flight straight out from Ireland would be too obvious, they (Baekhyun) concluded, and by the time took a ferry from Dublin to the UK and arrived at the airport in London, it would take a week. Hopefully some of the dust would have settled and perhaps the fiancée would change her mind by then. It was, however, just some wishful thinking.

The Irish landscape was surreal: the clouds were gray, most likely hinting of rain, but Baekhyun also knew it was always cloudy in this part of the world. The mountains were shrouded in a thin fog, making them seem like silhouettes in the distance instead of enormous mineral structures.

The green of the grass struck out in the middle of the drear, moss bringing about an eye catching effect, like pools of emeralds lying to be plucked and kept hidden as a secret in an ornate chest, and passed down to generations to come. The grass definitely looked plush and soft, like the hair of a lover whose head lay silent and asleep on a lap.

Baekhyun glanced towards Park when he heard a groan and some shuffling. He’d seemed to have woken up and decided to try to stretch his weary, old man bones. It proved to be fruitless, unfortunately for him, as his legs and arms were too long. His feet bumped into the legroom area and his hands curled uncomfortably against the roof of the car.

“Mornin’,” he grumbled like the giant he was, eyes not even fully open. He slouched over, hair more of a mess than the other night.

Baekhyun grunted back in reply. 

Park sniffed, finally cracking an eye open as the sun was casting a light, white glow through the dense clouds. “Did you really drive all night?”

“No, you cretin, you jester, you clown, you  _ idiot _ of Shakespearean proportions, I wished on a star and the next thing I knew, we were magically in the next city.”

“Jeez,” the taller man huffed, cracking his neck, “one of these days, I’ll show you that having kneecaps is not a human right, but a privilege.”

The secretary exhaled hard. Stupid Park. He’d never understand sacrifices. 

“How are we not out of gas?” the barbaric fruit loop wondered idly, looking out of his window. Baekhyun scoffed. Did Park really think he would not be aware-

Oh.

Sure, the meter was a millimeter close to empty, but he was not going to say it out loud. He knew how to handle this, of course he did.

\--

“You know, Byun, sometimes it’s  _ okay  _ to admit when you made a mistake.”

“Never to you.”

The car had sputtered to a stop just a little ways away from the gas station, so Baekhyun could not even  _ fathom  _ why Park was being such a piss nugget. Sure, he made him push a little, but it was a given; Baekhyun needed to be at the wheel, and what good were Park’s many, many cells if he could not push a little?

They stopped outside the gas station, since apparently Park could not push over the little incline in the road. Baekhyun snorted. How weak.

He pulled the door handle and stepped out. “Put on a hat and let's go to the convenience store.”

“Isn’t that suspicious?” Park asked. As expected of a personification of green onion chip dip.

“A head full of blond hair on a man as tall as a tree is even more suspicious,” he rolled his eyes, “get moving or I’ll leave you here to fend for yourself.”

And so the brunet leaned back against the car as Park fumbled with the bucket hat as if he were an infant. For a CEO, he sure didn’t seem to know how to work well under pressure, huh. His big ears folded under the hat, as if they were boneless. Baekhyun was sure they were.

They both went in and it looked as small inside as it did outside. The aisles were tall, but obviously park could be seen, sticking out like the absolute sore thumb he was. The walls were chipping where the plaster was visible, the rest of it covered in merchandise and souvenirs. The store was so cramped, Baekhyun almost hadn’t noticed the stout man at the register, buried behind all the clunk.

There did not seem to be any cameras, thankfully, but Baekhyun still pushed Park further away from the register, since he had no common sense to realize his  _ face  _ was all over  _ TV _ .

As the CEO ambled away down the rows of snacks, Baekhyun approached the register. The man behind it was bent over, probably a lot older than them in his fifties. He seemed to be organizing things.

Baekhyun cleared his throat, and the man noticed him and stood up. He smiled warmly, and the brunet couldn’t help but to smile back. 

“We ran out of gas,” he said in English, “we couldn’t bring the car into the station. Do you have some cans?”

The man nodded, heading into the garage behind him. Being a secretary for one of the world's biggest CEO’s, Baekhyun made sure to polish his language skills. He managed to practice English until his Korean accent was almost undetectable, but he still didn’t know all the intricate vocabulary. He just hoped it was enough.

Paying for the cans, he headed out. He was pretty sure Park could hear the door opening and closing, so he did not have to inform the loser he was going back to the car. If that truly proved to be a feat, surely the damp shoebox could just peek out the windows and see him.

Baekhyun sighed as he put down the cans of gasoline and opened the gas hatch. He opened a can and started pouring. 

By the time he filled about half the tank, head almost dizzy from the smell of gasoline, he heard a car coming in the distance. He removed the can and glanced up absently before screwing the cap on-   


_ Wait _ . He had to do a double take. It was a police car.

It pulled to a stop at the station and two police came out. One started filling up the gas and the other stretched. He looked over at Baekhyun then, and Baekhyun told himself to stay calm, nails digging into his palms.

The man did not look as if he had any offensive intent, but you never tell with cops. He seemed young, about mid-twenties. He had blonde hair under his cap, and he  _ could  _ have been an attractive foreigner, if it weren’t for the damn police uniform.

He came over to him, greeting him casually, “Hey, nice morning isn’t it?”

Baekhyun nodded, “a bit chilly, though.”

“Why are you out so early?”

“I wanted to make it down to Dublin actually, and hoped I could cover a lot of scenery if I got there earlier.”

“Oh really? So you’re here for a vacation? Odd choice, especially since it’s winter,” he said smoothly. Baekhyun noted the Irish accent was not very noticeable.

“I actually came here for a prior arrangement, but it was postponed,” The secretary shrugged.

The man nodded, leaning against the hood of their rental. There was something odd about it all to Baekhyun. He seemed to loosen up- well, he never was tense, actually. Baekhyun watched him shift his weight onto one leg, wondering what seemed so off. When the cop tilted his head at him, it hit him.

The police man was  _ flirting _ with Baekhyun.

Sure it could have been just some friendly western thing, but when the corner of his lip tugged into a smirk, thumb hooked into his pocket, alarm bells rang loud and clear in Baekhyun’s head.

Police are terrifying by themselves, but imagine them flirting? The poor secretary felt sweat perspiring down his back despite the chill.

However, pinching the nail of his thumb into his index finger (as to be discreet about readying himself), Baekhyun smiled back, letting his eyes relax to look hooded. This was okay. If Baekhyun couldn’t charm a police officer in a foreign country, who was he really?

“So,” he started, “out for your morning patrol or something?”

He shrugged, eyes still on the brunet. “Something like that.”

“Oh dear, that doesn’t sound good.”

The man hummed, “you probably heard of the CEO that went missing. They called police to check cars on the entrance to Dublin. I’m coming back from my night shift.”

Baekhyun lit up, as if he wasn’t up close and personal with the “missing CEO”. “Oh my god! I was invited to the wedding actually,” he tutted, shaking his head with a frown, “what a shame. I thought you’d have gotten him back by now, though.”

“We haven’t,” the man shook his head with a sigh, “the bride is not letting go of this. It’s torture.”

“Well can you imagine?” Baekhyun made a big show of asking, eyes wide in incredulity, “she was set to be married!”

“I guess. Anyway, you didn’t come with anyone?”

“Oh, no,” Baekhyun waved him off, “plus one’s weren’t necessary.”

He seemed to study him for a little before leaning closer. It was miniscule and if Baekhyun wasn’t on high alert and borderline uncomfortable, he wouldn’t have noticed.

“My name’s-”

“Officer Boyle!”

They both turned their heads to the man's partner, who was calling him over. Baekhyun was relieved the flirting was stopping, but he was starting to feel queasy. Did the officer find Park? The tall idiot was certainly stupid enough for Baekhyun to not put it past him, and the thought of this intolerable mouth breather getting caught and then taken back and then getting  _ married- _

_ Why  _ did it upset Baekhyun this much?

The policeman clicked his tongue. “Sorry, I’ll be back.”

“Actually,” Baekhyun started with faux hesitation, because if he led the man on, what if he thought he was suspicious? “I have to be going…”

“Oh…”

“Yeah..”

“Well, maybe I’ll see you around.”

Baekhyun nodded, secretly relieved. And with that, the man turned and jogged to his partner. They went into the store, Baekhyun watched nervously. He pretended to inspect the gasoline can to stall, then went to the back to pop open the trunk. He placed the can inside, then rearranged some things, again, to stall.

Baekhyun was getting shakier by the minute. 

He looked up anxiously and he immediately sighed when he saw a familiar lanky shadow in the window, something straight out of a creepypasta. He had never been so happy to see it.   


Park ran out, and even the way he ran made Baekhyun want to double over in laughter. He seemed panicked, carrying dozens of bags of chips and snacks in his never ending arms. The huge hoodie billowed around him and the hood was drawn and tied under his chin to hide his hair.

He jumped into the passenger's seat, slammed the door and turned to Baekhyun, wide eyed. “Why didn't you warn me?!”

This time, Baekhyun did laugh. “What did you want me to do? Tell them, “hey, one second, let me just give the guy you’re looking for a heads up that you’re here”?”

Park groaned in frustration, “you’re infuriating- oh my god, why are we not moving?! Drive, god damnit!”

\--

Baekhyun chewed his lip, glancing too often at the GPS. They barely made it ten minutes past the gas station, however he remembered the conversation he had with the policeman. He remembered him mentioning a check post, and if they started as early as last night, there had to be more.

He had not been worrying aimlessly, it seemed, because as he was busy worrying about how to respond if the situation were to arise, Park’s confused mumble caught his attention.

“What… is that?” he wondered, “what the… is it a toll?”

Baekhyun looked ahead and sure enough, he saw a congestion of cars and men and women walking around in uniform. “Okay, I think it’s the car check post the police guy told me about.”

“Holy shit,” Park wheezed, akin to a suffocating frog. He was turning green like one too, “what the fuck, what the fuck-”

“ _ Relax _ ,” Baekhyun rolled his eyes, reaching into the back, “I have an idea.”

\--

“Byun,  _ literally what the fuck. _ ”

Said man guffawed, leaning back to look at the CEO properly. His lips were glossy and reeked of strawberry from the excessive amount of Chapstick Baekhyun applied for him. His lashes elongated and framing the glittery makeup surrounding it, blush dusted on his cheeks, and lastly, to top it all off, that  _ glorious  _ wig Baekhyun had picked up from the thrift shop.

“You look so pretty! They'll never notice,” he chuckled, “just remember to smile so they see that cute dimple.” He rolled the window down before Park could say anything. “Is there a problem, officer?”

“We just need to check your car,” she said, peeking in past him. Her eyes landed on Park next to him, “a precaution. You must have heard about the missing South Korean CEO.”

“Ah yeah,” the secretary said passively, tilting his head to the man next to him, “well, this is my girlfriend, ChanHee. We were here for the wedding actually..”

Her eyebrows raised, “Were you close to the families? When are you going back?” 

“Oh no,” Baekhyun waved her off expertly, “my girlfriend is an intern for the company. She was invited as a formality. We’re due to leave in three days. It got cancelled early, you know,” he shook his head, feigning pity, “upsetting. We decided to spend some time here anyway before going back.”

She seemed to consider his words, peering inside again. Park smiled at her, and Baekhyun thanked the Lord his ugly, toothy smile looked convincing enough.

She nodded, backing away from the car, “enjoy your stay, sir.”

Baekhyun smiled at her, rolling up the window as the car rolled forward. They drove on for a bit like that, the fake smile still plastered subconsciously on his lips.

“I felt like I was gonna throw up.”

“Well thank god you didn’t, ChanHee.”

“Shut the fuck up,” he grumbled, pulling at the fake raven hair, “are we far away enough? Can I take this god awful thing off?”

Baekhyun cackled, “but you look absolutely adorable! Has anyone ever told you eyeliner makes your eyes look absolutely gorgeous and doe-like?”   
  
“Byun I will punch you,” he said, very seriously.

“You look like a prince,” he cooed

Park’s face turned a hilarious shade of red and he grabbed the wig and ripped it off, throwing it onto the dashboard and sinking into his chair the same way the Wicked Witch of the West looked as she melted.

The secretary chuckled to himself. The stress left his system, but it would only get harder from here if they were to go to Dublin. 

Baekhyun, the most capable secretary he knew (not like he knew many), made a decision. They were going to detour and drive into Northern Ireland to catch a Ferry to the United Kingdom. Sure, it would take longer, but Baekhyun was  _ not  _ going to go home with a failed mission. 

Lest he prove Park he was incapable, of course.

\--

It was later when Baekhyun saw Park’s stupid hand reaching for the radio button, and he had no idea why he just watched instead of batting it away.

“South Korean CEO has been reported missing. His name is Park Chanyeol, and he was last seen at his own wedding, before guests arrived.”   
  
Baekhyun sighed at the reporter continuing to describe the cuntwaffle next to him. Thankfully, said cuntwaffle changed the channel.

“ _ You got that yummy yum-” _

“What the  _ fuck _ ,” Baekhyun screeched, trying to drown the noise out with his voice, “change it, you shit!”

But the taller just kept his hands in his lap. “This car was rented with  _ my  _ money.”

“I’m not fucking playing, Park, I will turn this car around!” Baekhyun growled when his hand was batted away while he tried changing the channel, “don't play that shit near me!”

“I want to listen to this!” he argued.

“You  _ want  _ to?!”

“Well, no,” he mumbled, “but you don’t like it, so yes.”

Baekhyun was getting fed up by how his hand was being pushed away, his other hand on the wheel and his eyes struggling to stay glued on the road in front of them. He started pushing back.

“Change it, it’s demonic!”

“I fucking wo- won’t!” he spluttered, as Baekhyun’s hand managed to smack at his face. This ensued a kitty fight, hands trying to smack each other in the face.

“Stop it!” Baekhyun yelled, “I’m trying to concentrate!”

Park tried holding his hand away, but the smaller’s hand was lithe enough to slip out, “On what?!”

“It’s raining!” Baekhyun yelled again, only to pause. “It’s raining?”

Baekhyun’s windshield wipers were going at a slow pace from when he turned them on because of the mist. He cranked it up, but it did nothing to help. It was as if someone was pouring tubs of water out there.

“Woah, when did it start raining?” He heard Park ask, but he was focused on making out anything on the road, or around them. He sighed, opening Park’s window for just a second to see the road.

“He-hey!”

Baekhyun successfully pulled over, rolling the window back up and turning the engine off.

“Thanks,” Park said flatly, frowning at his drenched sleeve.

“Shut up,” Baekhyun leaned his head back and closed his eyes.

It was silent. Of course, until:

“What are we doing right now.”

Park said it so blandly, it didn’t even sound like a question, but more of a deadpan.

“I can’t see, incel.”

“So what?”

“So we’ll wait until the rain lets up.”

Park shut up afterwards, thankfully. They still had half an hour to the dock, but the ferry was early in the morning anyway. They could wait till the rain stopped or slowed down and start driving again.

Baekhyun closed his eyes, only for a minute. The rain was a bit soothing and it was toasty from before, when they had the heat on. He swears, it was only for a minute.

But then he was in some grove with green grass and petite animals, and all things Disnei. Except here, Baekhyun was still in his work clothes, and Park was stalking down the pathway the animals made for him, in his black wedding suit.

And Baekhyun watched as flowers and plants bloomed and stretched before his eyes, making an arch. Park stopped in front of it. Baekhyun held his breath. But… nothing.

What was happening? The animals were frozen, the trees and plants did not sway, and the breeze stopped. Park stood there, motionless. Chills went up Baekhyun’s spine as frost pricked at his cheekbones and bit at the tips of his ears and nose.

He breathed in, the air crackling in his lungs and making them push painfully against his chest. It was hard to breathe, but he could not move. It did not even cross his mind to take a step forward, to try to break the stillness of the world around him. He was stuck in it as well.

Baekhyun shivered, not able to tear his eyes away from Park in his crisp, light blue suit. The blond finally turned to face him slowly, the quiet in the world creating a white noise that shook Baekhyun to the core. Frost sparkled on Park’s skin, shining, shimmering between the flakes of snow falling faster and faster now. 

They held eye contact- Baekhyun was not able to turn away and Park held his gaze, like he could melt through this whole blizzard with the heat of his stare.

Baekhyun’s lips felt numb. He saw his breath cloud in front of him. Park opened his mouth and Baekhyun found himself zeroing in on his lips in the midst of the snow, trying to make out what they were trying to say, trying to unders-

He felt a nudge. Baekhyun did not respond. What was that?

He got nudged a little harder, “hey.” Baekhyun just batted the hand away.

Huffing, Park pushed at his shoulder, “Byun, wake up and switch seats with me. I’ll drive.”

Baekhyun clenched his hands tighter. His fingers were cold. “Fuck off Park, it’s so cold. I’m not moving,” he mumbled. He realized then that he had actually  _ fallen asleep _ . The car had turned almost ice cold and the rain did not go down.

“Just move to this seat,” the other was trying to convince him. What time was it?

When Baekhyun didn’t move, Park let out a groan of frustration. “We might actually freeze to death out here, Byun. I’ll at least try to find a motel or inn, or  _ something _ .”

Groaning in return, Baekhyun sat up.

“Great,” Park said, hand on the door handle, “hurry up-”

“Get in the back.”

“What?!”

“We’ll be warmer.”

Baekhyun did not want to go outside. Sure, this was unconventional, but they were just two people in a foreign country on the run from police  _ and  _ a fiancée.  _ All  _ of this is unconventional.

He clambered into the backseat, shivering as the cool leather touched him. His knee almost slipped off the armrest, but he managed to pull himself onto the seat. “You won’t get anywhere anyway,” he said, laying down on his side, “we’d crash and they’d find us and I’ll get locked up and you’ll get married off.”

Park pursed his lips. “I’m not fucking  _ cuddling  _ with you.”

“Would you rather cuddle your new wife in the back of a police car?”

“ _ At least let me be the big spoon! _ ”

\--

Baekhyun was home. His crème colored walls with the brown and gold décor, courtesy of Jongdae’s wife, softened the atmosphere around him. It was warm, like home always was. 

The desk lamp on the bedside table was on; the warm yellow glow sharpening the edges of the shadows cast about the room. It smelled of caramel and vanilla, somehow like a cinnamon bun and Christmas at the same time. 

Baekhyun was home. He heard his next door neighbor playing loud music, the wall between their apartments vibrating from the bass. The kid was a college student, their music always loud, but he didn’t seem to mind; he found the rhythm soothing, as if it were an embrace. 

His bed was unmade from when he ran off to work that morning in a rush, his white comforter crumpled and askew, his sheets messy, and his pillow having a dent from where his head had rested. 

He wanted nothing more to collapse and rest his weary body and mind, even if only for a few hours before his life went back to how it always was. He walked forward, limbs feeling heavier every step he took. Baekhyun took a breath; nutmeg and bourbon filled his brain. 

At the end of the bed, he let himself go, eyes closed. The music from next door got louder, pumping through his veins and thumping around in his head, steady, strong, like the beating of a horse's hooves, like the beating of a heart.

His breath caught in his chest, ready for the collision of his mattress. 

It didn’t come.

His eyes flew open and he was met with nothing. His throat closed as his brain went on a total freak-out and gravity took hold of him completely. He felt its claws close around him, his vision curving as if he were in a snow globe, falling, falling, to the cold marble floors, doomed to shatter-

“ _ Fu-!” _

Heaving air, Baekhyun’s eyes darted, alarmed. It was small, cramped, cold. It was… the floor of the car.

Sighing in relief, he turned onto his back and pushed himself up on his elbow. He ran a hand through his mussed hair. The smell of rubber was registering now that he was calmer, and as his arm throbbed from the fall, he realized he was just asleep and dreaming.    


The man slumped, body relaxing. What were these  _ dreams _ ? Maybe it was a side effect of sleep deprivation, he thought at first, but then it never happened to him before. Something had to be triggering them, right?

_ Oh wait a second- _

Baekhyun had a hunch and was dreading to confirm it, yet eyes flew open. Fortunately, (or unfortunately, he couldn’t make his mind up about it) he did not have to sit up to see familiar fingers peeking over the edge, lax. He grimaced. They really… fell…

Baekhyun shuddered. He couldn’t even bring himself to  _ think  _ the words. A strange, strange feeling was bubbling up in his stomach, threatening to make its way up his throat. Not knowing exactly what if was, he found himself naming it disgust

He looked at the window from where he was on the floor and saw it was still dark. The rain had stopped, however, little droplets idle on the glass, and he pushed himself up to check the time at the front. 3 AM.

Deciding it was better to  _ not be there when Park woke up _ , he sat up enough to crouch and open the car door, stumbling out. The air was thin, in the way it was after the violence of the storm had passed, saying “it’s okay to breathe again.” Shutting the door, he stretched, letting out a groan of relief as his muscles tugged happily. Stupid Park and his unnecessarily large body. He barely had enough room on the seat.

He pulled open the driver’s side door and climbed into the seat. He yawned. Maybe if they arrived before it was time to board, he could take a nap.

The secretary looked back at the whittled posset still snoring somewhat quietly, somehow asleep even after Baekhyun slammed  _ two  _ doors. However he noted his face was squished and cheeks and lips gelatinous in how with every breath he released, Baekhyun could see them wobble like a cartoonish building during an earthquake. 

His eyes were puffy, and if the brunet did not know any better, he would have assumed it was a bee sting allergy. He let a passive huff of amusement. Park should get stung by a bee for everything he put him through.

The excuse of a CEO was towheaded, the thin strands no doubt tangled, and if Baekhyun shaved it all off now, he could use it as decorations for Halloween. He slept pressed to one end, the tiniest space empty, and looking at it made Baekhyun think of their… communal night… dormant. 

It was  _ distressing _ to think of.

Park’s horrifically elongated arm stretched so his salad fingers hung off the edge of the seat and Baekhyun’s eyes fixated on a spot on his bicep where the cloth of the hoodie was pressed and not rumpled. It could only… mean… 

_ What  _ was he thinking of right now?! Literally  _ what  _ were these thoughts in his brain?! Baekhyun was  _ furious! _ Who gave his brain permission to manifest these  _ words?! _

He turned back, hands clutching the wheel in front of him. He should just delete this memory from his brain. 

Turning on the ignition, Baekhyun rubbed his eye.  _ The faster we get there _ , he told himself again,  _ the faster I get home. _

_ \-- _

Baekhyun leaned back in his seat. His eyes were strained, and he could occasionally feel a vein on his eyelid pulsing. Turned out, the roads were flooded at certain points, slowing him down, so he had no time to take a nap. The line of cars about to board the ferry was long and moved along once every five minutes. By the time Baekhyun boarded, it was five in the morning. 

He was nervous the whole time, hoping they were not to check the car. And even if they did, the only thing that needed to be hidden was Park, and unfortunately, he was as big as a plot of land.

Thankfully though, he got them through successfully. Park was still snoring away in the back, but it was better that way. There was less chance of him being seen while boarding, and in addition, he did not have to hear his dumb whining. Baekhyun thanked every spiritual being he could think of because they could stay inside their vehicles. 

Which meant Baekhyun could sleep.

He tilted the seat back, killing the engine. Though it was early and pretty chilly from the rain and mist, and he predicted it would get even more so as they went out to sea, he figured he could save gas and turn it on again when it got colder.

He shifted, shuffling into the leather, getting ready to drift off to sleep. His eyes felt relieved as he let them close.

Baekhyun could hardly remember what it was like to be energized at this point. The past few days felt like years, and the miniscule reminder of having to stay up more nights once he went back home prodded in his brain. He quickly shoved it away, not wanting to ruin this one chance for rest.

“Byun.”

His own groan followed the one in the back. Of  _ course  _ he had to wake up now.

“Why do I feel like I'm going to puke?” the off brand excuse for a pile of organs asked, voice paralleled to the sound of dragging a shovel across gravel.

“We’re on the ferry,” the brunet answered wearily, eyes still closed, “and please do not puke.”

He heard shuffling from the back seat. “I’m hungry,” Park complained gruffly.

“Eat from the snacks. We’re on a ferry and you bought so many anyway, like the spoiled brat you are.”

“Food should be bought with no hesitation!”

Baekhyun groaned, ”do whatever you want and let me  _ sleep _ .”

Park huffed and Baekhyun sighed. He could hear the idiot getting a bag of chips and noisily opening them. The crackling noise pricked at his skin. By the time he heard noisy chewing, he realized there was no way he was getting sleep.

How could Park even sleep and eat peacefully knowing the whole country was after him? It was ridiculous.  _ Baekhyun  _ should be the one resting. Park should be shaking in his Gucci shoes and anxious to leave. And yet, Baekhyun was here, worried, unable to sleep, and even when he did, those  _ bizarre  _ dreams shook him up.

Baekhyun opened his eyes and glowered at the man in the backseat through the rearview mirror. He didn’t even notice, the moron he was. He munched away noisily on those godforsaken chips. For a CEO, he did not seem to give a shit about his nutrition.

They had an hour together. Baekhyun hoped Park had his will updated.

\--

“Byun, I’m hungry.”

Said man groaned, glancing at the spot on the dashboard Park smacked with his hand. He had moved from the back seat to the front. Poor car. “Don't tell me you ate everything already,”

“There are more chips,” he groaned, slumping in his seat, “but that's too much grease.”

“It didn't seem to stop you before,” Baekhyun mumbled, turning away from Park. Neither of them had brought up their Communal Night Dormant, and the former hoped it was because of Park’s ball bearing of a brain.

“There's also the last box of donuts,” Baekhyun heard him say.

“Then eat that.”

Park was uncharacteristically quiet. So quiet, Baekhyun thought he might have not heard him reply. He did not hear him climbing into the backseat, or even shifting around. 

“...you wanted those.”

Baekhyun blinked. Now that he thought about it, he did demand a box be saved for him, but at this point, the secretary was sure Park would have eaten everything in the car, seats included. “You…” he started, “I thought you would’ve eaten them the first chance you got…”

Park scoffed, shuffling behind him. The seat creaked, “I wasn't  _ saving  _ it for you,” he clarified unprovoked, “I just don’t want to get killed in my sleep.”

That was fair enough, though. Honestly, Baekhyun would not have noticed if Park ate his donuts, nor would he have remembered they were  _ his  _ in the first place. 

Either way, the brunet was not willing to listen to the human version of a hairball complain the whole ferry ride.

“Just have half of it,” he grumbled.

“Really?”

“Take it before I change my mind.”

And with that, the car shook as Park practically jumped into the backseat.

\--

“Stop looking at me, Byun”   


“I'm not.”

“I keep catching you looking at me and you look away.”

“Why do you keep looking at  _ me _ then?”

“...I’m not.”

“The only way you could see me looking is if  _ you _ were looking.”

“...The human brain is unconsciously attracted to the grotesque.”

“...Likewise.”

\--

The weather was a bit dreary and the captain took a careful route. By the time they got off, it was almost seven AM. The donuts were enough to satisfy their hunger  — well, Park complained he was still hungry. Baekhyun argued that they did not need to even get out of the car for anything, so there was no point in eating a five course meal. It did make sense though, with his twin tower lookin-ass.

They drove on somewhat quietly, save for the arguments here and there. Baekhyun was just surprised they had not killed each other yet.

By the time they were closer to Kielder Forest Park, it was getting late. 

Park felt the need to say as much, “It's getting late again.” 

“Thank you, oh mighty Greek god of the obvious, I have yet to notice as I obviously do not have eyes.”

Park rolled his own, “and you keep yawning”

“I do not….” Baekhyun clamped his jaw shut, fighting the urge to yawn right then. Damnit. 

“I am an adult who knows how to drive, you know,” Park tried to wheedle.

“For an adult, you slept the whole entire day today,” the secretary grunted, “ _ I  _ should be sleeping the whole day.”

“Then let me drive and you can sleep. Why are you so begrudging anyway, it's not even your car.”

Baekhyun grimaced. His eye lids were feeling heavy. Park was right, but obviously he was not going to tell him, or let him drive for that matter. Lord forbid he ever fed into Park’s sky high ego.

He pressed his lips into a line, trying to think of a way out of it. Park was tapping his foot and the sound was setting him off, unable to get his brain to function. But then Baekhyun lit up, because by pure luck, he saw a billboard on the side, informing of a motel. He took the exit without a second thought. 

“What are you doing?” Park asked, looking around, “why are we off the highway?”

Baekhyun stayed silent, worrying his lip until he spotted the sign. He pulled in, “ _ fine. _ We’ll stay at this motel.”

Park sighed. The audacity. “Literally this is not what I asked,” but he got out anyway.

The motel seemed unkempt, but open. The walls were off color, showing it might not be very popular by the lack of need for preservation. When they went inside, Baekhyun’s eyes strained under the dim lighting. There was an old man at the desk, looking through pages. It must not be a well frequented motel, because there was no computer or system. 

The wallpaper was yellow, a Victorian style pattern. There were flowers in vases, fake on further inspection, and dusty shelves and old wooden tables.

Park seemed to have walked forward when Baekhyun was surveying the area, already asking for two rooms. The old man seemed sweet. He told him their rooms were quite unkempt, but they had one for them. Baekhyun saw Park nodding hesitantly. 

He did not seem to recognize him, and that was all Baekhyun cared about.

Baekhyun followed Park and the manager wearily as he took them to the room. It was a few rooms away from the main office, but it did not matter at the moment to Baekhyun. He was just tired and wanted to sleep.

There were a lot more rooms between theirs and the main office, and Baekhyun, in his tired state of mind, wondered if the poor man had employees to help around. The grass was yellow and spikey, growing in patches across the lawn. The walkway they were on had a few dead leaves, dark from the rain that had probably fallen earlier.

When they reached their room, they thanked the man and as he walked away. The door was white and simple, a small window on it, covered by a white curtain inside. Park pushed the key into the keyhole and unlocked the door. The doorknob was shaky as he gripped and turned it.

Immediately they were hit with a dusty and old smell. Baekhyun wheezed, feeling queasy. The smell of mold was slightly detectable. Looking around the room, it looked quite old, like something out of a nineties coming of age movie.

The curtains were off-pink and floral, wallpaper a cream color similar to the ones in the main office. The lampshades were overdramatic, the room was cramped, nothing of luxury and- 

“There is one bed.”

Indeed there was. Baekhyun winced. He was tired but the awful musty smell was pushing it away.

“There is also the sofa and I think it would do me wonders if I took the bed,” he said.

Park grumbled but flopped on the couch anyway. It bounced and creaked under the weight, protesting. His legs halfway hung off the end.

Baekhyun sat down gingerly, the bed feeling as if it were decayed. His face twisted into discomfort, body wanting to spring up and away as fast as it could. "Let's have a drink."

Park lifted his head to look at him incredulously, his eyes wider and brows high. Baekhyun almost laughed. "Someone might recognize us."

"I meant inside."

"We need to  _ buy  _ the alcohol."

"Bold of you to assume I crashed your wedding without alcohol," Baekhyun said, shrugging the backpack off his shoulders and unzipping it. He rolled them as he did so, and they ached from sitting upright for so long.

“Where the fuck did you keep it?”   


Baekhyun arched an eyebrow at him and held up a bottle out of his bag.

“ _ That's  _ why you never let me touch it?” Park asked in disbelief, “Wait a minute, how do I know you’re not drunk off your face while driving?”

“You’re  _ alive,  _ aren't you?”

Park grumbled to himself, grabbing the glasses from the tray on the small table by his head. He grimaced as he noticed the dust dirtying them and he hopped up and ran to the bathroom to wash them off. Baekhyun slid off the bed and sat down on the floor. 

Park came back with clean glasses and set them down. Normally Baekhyun would have scoffed, argued that he was not his maid, and demanded that he pour instead. But he was tired and in no shape to argue.

“What’s the plan anyway?” Park asked.

Baekhyun took a sip of his whiskey. “We make it down to London in time for the plane in four days. You don’t have to worry about it. I have it all planned out.”

“How do I know you won’t sell me off?” he asked suspiciously, “My net worth is high, you know.”

“Literally who would want you, Park.”

“But look at me, Byun,” he leaned back, so tall upon his high horse, “I’m handsome. I’m rich. I’m-”

“-running away from your marriage,” the secretary deadpanned.

Park scoffed, hand on his heart in mock hurt. Baekhyun was so tired, he could not be disgusted at it. “Why are you so harsh towards me? What did I even do?”

The shorter rolled his eyes, “Wow, an unapologetic homewrecker  _ and  _ an idiot.”

The man's features twisted into confusion momentarily before his eyes brightened in realization. "You're really upset that I stole your girlfriend? In college? That was literally years ago!"

"You made my college experience hell, you were too loud, and flirted with everyone," the secretary listed off with a sip.

"So you were jealous?" the abominable goblin had the audacity to smirk. It was ugly, on his equally ugly features. Twice the ugliness. And twice the stupidity. Who did Park think he was, with his moral backbone of a chocolate éclair?

"And you're full of yourself."

Park laughed freely, face ruddy and hair  _ more  _ of a mess. Baekhyun thought of re-introducing him to a comb these days. The CEO flopped down, before remembering where he was and shooting up again. Park dusted himself off with that idiotic pout of his and clambered onto the sofa.

Baekhyun sighed, twirling the alcohol in his own glass. Park was closing his eyes, face  _ relaxed  _ and  _ peaceful  _ while Baekhyun was  _ tired _ . He did  _ not  _ have the right to do that. Baekhyun was going to rest  _ way  _ better than Park. He took the last few sips then threw himself on the bed. 

Baekhyun sniffed. The bed sheets smelled very old, as if they were in some house that had not been cleaned since the Victorian era. He scrunched his nose. He rolled over aggressively. 

The mattress felt weird and lumpy. It felt as if someone poured acid in certain spots and made that area thinner than the others. It made sense though, as the motel was quite out of shape anyway. Old motels were never the types to be thorough in their housekeeping, and if the outside looked like a mess, then surely the inside would be worse.

But that had Baekhyun thinking… How long had it been since it was cleaned?

He sat up. “I think there’s a body.”

“What.”

“A body,” Baekhyun repeated, slightly frustrated by the lack of consideration on Park’s behalf.

“We all have bodies,” he grumbled from where he was face planted on the small couch.

“Under my mattress.”

A pause. Some more seconds ticked by.

“Huh?”

Baekhyun stood up, body heating up from frustration and, okay, intoxication. “A body under my mattress!”

Park shifted so he was lying on his back, eyes adamant on staying closed. “You drank too much, Byun.”

“There fucking is!” he insisted shrilly, stomping closer, “’M not fucking sleeping here!”

“Sleep on the floor.”

“No! I want the couch.”

“You made me take the bed.”

“Well, I don’t want it anymore.”

“Well, I’m not getting up.”

“I’m not sleeping there!”

“’S not my problem.”

“I’ll make it your problem!”

Baekhyun managed to make it successfully onto his destination in his state: the couch. The only problem was, Park was also on the couch. To clear things up, Baekhyun seemed to be on Park, who was on the couch. However, in Baekhyun’s tipsy little happy place, Park and his horribly croaky, demanding voice did not exist; therefore, Baekhyun was on the couch.

He heard Park wheeze and flail his useless limbs. The brunet male let his whole body go lax, making him deadweight on the Couch Cover. Park groaned into his hair (how dare he pollute Baekhyun’s glorious hair strands with his offensive carbon dioxide!) and struggled to nudge him off. 

Baekhyun closed his eyes, sighing happily as Park continued his  _ massages _ . Somewhere along the way to his velvety dreamland, Park had given up and sighed. Baekhyun went to sleep with the satisfaction of causing Park trouble right before he slept.

\--

Baekhyun woke up first.

The first thing he noticed was the horrible taste in his mouth. He smacked his lips a couple of times. 

The next thing he noticed was the smell of alcohol in the room. It also explained why Baekhyun’s stomach felt a little queasy.

The  _ next  _ thing he noticed  — the final thing  — was that his bed was lump and bony, and strangely smelled like aired out nutmeg-

Oh dear.

Baekhyun gingerly opened his eyes and was met with a sunlit room. He couldn’t move however, and the more he tried, the more he was squeezed closer. He could not lift his head up because it was blocked by a chin. And Baekhyun did not have to see who it was to know.

This was very bad, Baekhyun knew it. But he also knew that he was  _ not  _ going to be the one affected in this situation. It was only bad for him if he  _ let it  _ become bad. The small man had to get the upper hand here.

Park’s legs shifted on either side of him, one of them falling off the couch and the other hooking over Baekhyun’s own. The latter fought down a high pitched noise threatening to escape, and tried not to move too much. Park exhaled loudly under him, humming sleepily. Baekhyun’s hands clutched tighter to himself as Park’s pressed into his back.

He should be waking up, right?

Park’s head turned and Baekhyun could finally lift his own head. The CEO groaned in his sleep, the leg that was hanging off the couch uselessly coming up to rest beside Baekhyun’s.

“Well…  _ this  _ is very unprofessional.”

Baekhyun watched with amusement as Park’s eyebrows furrowed before his eyes opened. He was met with the blond’s confused squint, then he blinked. His eyes went to the arms clutching Baekhyun’s waist, the negative-hairs width of space between them- wait.

_ Arms around-?! _

Baekhyun snickered to himself as the man’s arms flew away as if he were something hot, and the brunet saw the three stages of horror flash in his eyes. He sat up, letting the taller marinate in his dread.

“ _ You  _ did this, last I remember,” Park said, rubbing his tired face.

“Did I?” Baekhyun chirped, springing off the couch with more enthusiasm than he’d normally have, “imagine that.”

He left Park to grumble to himself and opened the bathroom door. The bathroom was dusty, but otherwise seemed functioning. The whole place honestly felt like nobody came by in years.

He managed to clean himself up. He took a quick shower, brushed his teeth, and changed into new clothes. He slept great last night, actually. There were no weird dreams that he could remember, and he felt newly energ-

Oh wait. He slept on Park last night. Baekhyun shrugged to himself. Park had nothing to do with how well he slept. 

He came out of the bathroom. Park gathered up his toiletries and ambled past Baekhyun into the bathroom. Baekhyun packed up his things, eyes sweeping around the room once. Once he was certain there were none of his things left, He slung the bag over his shoulder and left the room, heading for the main office to see if they had any breakfast.

When he got there, there was the manager and another old man playing cards at a table. Baekhyun poked his head in and he noticed, breaking out into a warm smile that instantly made up for the horrible service they had.

“Hi! How did you sleep?”

“Great!” Baekhyun said cheerfully. It wasn’t even a lie. “I was just wondering if you offered breakfast.”

“We have some pastries and coffee over there,” he said, inclining his head to the small table in the back. 

Baekhyun nodded his thanks and went over. There was a limited selection, unlike the hotel in Ireland, but he didn’t expect much. He picked up a flaky pastry, which was decent, if not stale. It tasted good though. The coffee was instant, but it was good. It was, after all, the best they could afford at the moment.

Baekhyun did not drink too much last night, so there wasn’t much of a hangover. The coffee was hot and bitter on his tongue, and as he looked outside the window, he could feel the cold of the morning air coming in through the glass. 

There was mist outside in the dull blue light and condensation on the glass. The room was warm because of the small fireplace in the front, but Baekhyun could remember the chill outside from the short walk he took to the main office. 

Baekhyun could tell it was a pretty scene outside, with lush grass and moss. There was a fence seemingly built to contain something and the brunet could not see what it was, but it all looked surreal. The grass was a bit greener on this side, as if this was the only side tended.

Baekhyun blinked as something moved out of the corner of his eye. He gasped.

Horses!

The man straightened up behind the window, leaning in. There were horses trotting around in the mist, the entire thing like something out of a fairytale. 

Baekhyun had always liked horses. On his sixth birthday, his aunt took him horse riding at a farm nearby. It made him immensely happy, even though all that happened was him sitting on the horse and the lady led the horse around by the reins.

He still remembered that feeling of freedom he felt as a kid, as if that horse could take him anywhere.

He was so lost in thought, he didn’t even notice Park behind him. 

“Ah, horses.”

Baekhyun jumped, almost spilling his coffee. He huffed at him before looking back. Stupid Park. He watched the black horse walk around, its mane flying in the breeze. It looked tall and strong, and Baekhyun couldn’t help but feel awed.

“They’re so pretty,” Baekhyun sighed to himself. Obviously, Park did not catch a hint.

“I used to have one when I was a kid,” Park grunted. Baekhyun rolled his eyes. He was not about to let this man ruin his time.

“It was white,” he heard Park say. He ignored him.

Instead, he watched a small brown pony follow a darker brown horse, the sound of their hooves muted behind the glass, but Baekhyun could hear them still, in his mind. He didn’t notice Park looking at him. 

“...Will you get over it if you ride on one once?”

Baekhyun gasped in delight, not even registering what Park was saying, “yeah!” He ran out, feeling like a child all over again. Park followed sometime after.

“I asked the manager. He said it was okay.”

Baekhyun wasn’t listening though. There was more light than before, but it was still a blue atmosphere and misty. However, he could see the muscles shifting underneath the shiny and well-groomed coat of the black horse, tall and majestic in front of him. It looked strong, it’s mane soft as Baekhyun reached out hesitantly to touch the horse. 

He watched the horse, trying to gauge it’s reaction. However, Baekhyun did not know a lot about horse behavior, and was feeling nervous. He heard a sigh from behind him before a larger hand grabbed his wrist and slowly moved it closer.

Baekhyun almost jerked away and punched Park, because  _ what the fuck? _ But his hand was close to touching the animal, and he held his breath, eyes darting between his hand and the horses eyes.

He finally exhaled when his hands came in contact with its very much  _ alive  _ coat. It felt different, but a good type of different, a  _ new  _ type of different. He pet the horse gently, lips smiling brightly.

When he looked up, the horse was taller than it seemed. He let out a nervous chuckle. How was he supposed to get on? Should he ask Park? Surely he would laugh at him, and then drag him back inside.

“Just grab the bit at the front  —  the pommel,” Park pointed, before Baekhyun could even say anything. He moved away from the horse to see what the former was talking about. “Keep your hold on the reins, and then pull yourself up carefully. When your other leg swings over to the other side,  _ sink  _ into the saddle, gently, or you’ll hurt the horse’s back."

Baekhyun nodded, still confused. How was he supposed to-

Baekhyun  _ yelped  _ as he was picked up by the thighs.  _ Never in a million years  _ would he have seen this moment coming. His hands grabbed at Park’s shoulders, fisting the fabric of the t-shirt so hard, if it was skin, it probably would have torn off. 

“What the  _ fuck- _ ”

“Grab the reins,” he instructed, “quickly, I can't hold you up forever.”

Baekhyun fumbled with the reins, right hand coming up to hold onto the pommel or whatever Park called it, but then he faltered. “What hand am I supposed to use- what-"

He felt the blond looking up. “Hold onto the pommel with the same hand you’re holding the reins.”

“This?” he asked, hesitantly grabbing the bit at the front of the saddle.

“Yeah. Now, I’ll let go of your right leg and you swing it over to the other side.”

“Wait! Wait- how- what do you mean?” Baekhyun's heart was pounding out of his chest. He felt as if he would fall if Park let go of both of his thighs. 

“Pull yourself up,” the man said, and if Baekhyun was paying attention, he would realize that he was being patient with his words. “I’ll give you a boost when you need it. Just swing your leg over like you would with a bike.”

It was easier said than done. Baekhyun tightened his grip on the pommel, careful not to tug at the reins too hard. “I-I’m going to pull myself up.”

“Okay, I’ll push you up on three.”

Thoughts raced in Baekhyun’s head as Park counted down, and he so wanted to blurt out “wait!” and make the latter give him some time to prepare himself. But he felt, quite rationally, as if the man would just put him down and walk away, and Baekhyun feared he would never touch a horse again.

When Park gave him a little hike on three, as he said he would, Baekhyun swung his leg over weakly, putting some weight on his left hand. When he realized he needed his right hand as well, he carefully put his hand in the middle of the saddle, quietly apologizing to the horse, then distributed his weight evenly. 

As he lifted his leg, Park had a strong grip on his other thigh. If Baekhyun’s mind was not racing a mile a minute, he would have been impressed. Meanwhile, his right foot successfully found the stirrup, and on shaky legs, he slowly sank into the saddle, as Park had told him to, and the latter finally let go of him.

Baekhyun panted. When his heart calmed down, he looked up. He was on the horse.

He was really on the horse! It was so high up from there. Baekhyun felt like he was on top of the world, as cheesy as it was. His chest felt light, and a laugh escaped him, breathy. He could feel the horse breathing beneath his thighs, steady, strong, and patient. 

He looked down and around. Wait, how would he get the horse to move?

“Give me the reins,” Park told him. Baekhyun did. Maybe Park would just walk the horse around like the lady-

Oh boy he was so wrong.

Baekhyun was close to toppling off from surprise when Park nudged his fingers off the pommel in front of him, gripping it, and then he pulled himself up swiftly, nothing like Baekhyun. The latter barely had enough time to note the grace of someone who had probably mounted a horse thousands of times in his life, when he scooted closer to him, arms around him to hold the reins. Baekhyun was frozen.

“What the fuck are you doing,” his voice came, nervous and quiet.

“You don’t even know how to ride a horse, dumbass.”

Baekhyun was in shock, but before he could say anything, he was lurching backward and bumping into Park’s chest as the horse trotted forward. Whatever he wanted to say died in his throat as the slow rocking motions of the horse softened his tensed muscles.

If only he could stop bumping against Park and feeling his disgusting warmth.

“Where do I hold on?” Baekhyun asked, hoping to use it as a way to pull him away from the man behind him and get them to stop  _ touching _ .

“You won’t fall off,” Park's voice rumbled behind him, the vibrations travelling through Baekhyun. It was vile. “I’m right here.”

“It- that's not-” he sighed, his thoughts running rapid fire, “are we too heavy? Does it hurt the horse?”

“Yeah, you should lay off those donuts we got.”

“I’ll push you off.”

“I’ll bring you down with me.”

Baekhyun nudged him with his elbow gently, only because he was afraid of falling off if he moved too much. Park barely felt it. 

As the horse trotted slowly, Baekhyun was getting used to the rocking motions. He found himself adjusting to the rocking and let his body move with the rhythm. It was quite soothing, akin to taking a walk.

Baekhyun watched as Park led the horse out of the gate, then belatedly scrunched his eyebrows. “Are we allowed to take the horse out?”

“Yeah, don’t worry about that. Worry about holding on.”

“Wait, what-”

He almost  _ screeched  _ as the horse galloped forward, the momentum having him knock into Park’s chest. 

“ _ Park, what the fuck?! _ ”

But the man behind him said nothing, and it wasn’t like Baekhyun was waiting for a response. His hands flew frantically, trying to find something to hold onto, and he couldn’t  _ reach  _ the pommel because he felt as if if he leaned forward he’d be careened off. The wind whipped at his face, heart beating wildly, and finally his hands reached up and grabbed at Park’s bare biceps as hard as he could.

The hold was surprisingly steadying once he found that it actually kept him still. His brain stopped yelling at him. He breathed in and out a couple of times, chuckling breathlessly when every gallop of the horse's hooves sent a flurry through his stomach.

This time, he truly  _ was  _ flying.

They were cutting through the mist and the green grass below them was a flurry, as if an ocean of emerald. The sky above stretched on with them as they rode across the stretch of land.

Baekhyun didn’t even remember Park behind him, too engrossed in the racing scenery and the sensation of floating. He didn’t notice the beat of the heart pressed to his back, or perhaps it was washed away within the tremors of hooves hitting the ground. He didn’t even notice the still tight hold he had on Park, fingers not yielding in the slightest.

He didn’t realize it was  _ Park  _ that showed him how to fly.

\--

“Why are we stopping here?”

“It looks nice,” Baekhyun said, pulling over to the side of the road.

The sun was about to set. There was a low stationed billboard that looked as if it hadn’t been used for years. Rust had set into the metal, the banner tearing at some parts, and at other parts, barely legible font for some advertisement was fading. 

There were dried vines weaving through the metal of the sides, disappearing behind the billboard. Dried grass spiked under it, tall enough to look like wheat stalks. The sky up ahead was clear. Baekhyun could see the stars dotting through already. 

Baekhyun was walking towards the billboard, when Park perked up and jogged back to the car. The shorter watched as he disappeared behind the car for a bit, popping open the trunk, and when he came back, he was holding two of Baekhyun’s whiskey. 

Baekhyun hopped and pulled himself onto the bottom panel of the billboard. He dangled his legs off the edge. The sun was touching the horizon when Park pulled himself up next to Baekhyun, handing him a bottle. It was only half full, from the night before, as was the one Park had.

Baekhyun took a sip, watching the sky change colors slowly: violet purple bleeding into fiery red and stars starting to make themselves known with a twinkle. The chill was starting to set in, and so was the alcohol, because Baekhyun felt as if he and Park were the only ones in the world, with the stars above them, and grass beneath.

As the last touch of byzantine purple hovered at the horizon, their attention shifted to the millions and millions of stars above them. Baekhyun was in awe, having never seen so many before. Far away from the city lights and at a higher altitude, he could see their unique colors: from diamond white, to a bright blush, to an electric blue. Some were clustered, and yet some were dotting further, like a velvet cloth littered with diamonds, like crystalline apples hanging from gentle trees, and if Park could maybe hold him up like he did early that day, Baekhyun could pluck a few and keep them forever.

Suddenly, he registered movement next to him, and when he looked, Park had hopped off and was dusting his hoodie. 

“I keep feeling bugs on me, let's go to the car,” he answered Baekhyun’s unasked question, face bright but shrouded by the darkness at the same time.

At the mention of bugs, he immediately jumped off, the impact of his feet hitting the ground leaving his tired soles throbbing dully. It didn’t bother him though, as he followed Park back to the car, light on his feet from the alcohol. Truthfully, he wished to keep watching the stars.

However, Baekhyun blinked as, instead of opening a door, Park climbed onto the hood of the car. He crawled over the glass gingerly and finally sat up on the roof.

Instead of saying anything, Park just laid down. Baekhyun lingered for just a second before he followed. It was harder than it seemed, the metal thumping under his knees, but he carefully pulled himself onto the roof of the car.

The blond was already laying to one side, so Baekhyun took the other. He laid down slowly, wincing when he felt the metal under him bend. But Park seemed unafraid, so what did he have to be afraid of?

The view was breathtaking from there. Baekhyun felt as if he was being swallowed up in the galaxy, aware of his breathing as it felt like he was breathing in stardust. There were stars all around him, as if he could reach up and run his fingers through millions of balls of gases and mix them around until he created a swirl of colors, like a paintbrush in a cup of water.

“That one,” Park said, bringing him back, “that's Taurus.”

Baekhyun looked up, unconsciously leaning close to Park to follow his finger to the constellation. 

“Which one?”

“That one,” he made vague gestures, pointing here and there.

“I didn't think you’d know about stars,” Baekhyun said quietly, still searching. He remembered what Taurus looked like. Back in high school, zodiac signs used to be a big thing and that was his. He just searched it up for fun.

“I don't,” Park snorted, hand dropping heavily. Surprised, Baekhyun burst into laughter, a little more than tipsy now that they had finished their bottles, which were still sitting alone on the billboard. it caught on. Park laughed as well.

“Actually,” Baekhyun said, voice light from the laughter, “that one looks like Orion,” Baekhyun said, pointing to the three stars making up the famous Orion’s Belt, and then the hourglass-like shape of his body from there.

“Which one?”

Baekhyun dropped his hand, realizing it was no use, “for a CEO, you’re not very bright.”

“I'm the CEO of an industry, not stars.”

Baekhyun laughed again at that, surprisingly. Something about today was making him feel like laughing his heart out. Maybe it was the alcohol. Park chuckled next to him. The roof of the car shook a bit, but neither of them paid attention.

“Why do you know so much about stars anyway?” Park asked.

“Is there a reason I shouldn’t?” Baekhyun asked back. Surprisingly, his voice was teasing and there was no bite in it. He was sure Park could tell, but he didn’t say anything about it.

“Is it wrong to be curious?”

Baekhyun was silent for a bit. He wasn’t contemplating on whether to tell Park or not, he wasn’t even wondering what was going on, as he should have been. He found his lightly boozed brain literally trying to piece words together.

“Stars are nice,” he answered finally, “you look up and they’re there, and it’s like you can be lost in them for a bit. Sometimes I look up when I don’t even mean to and I see them. And then I realize I’m very small, and this world is small, and there is a lot more out there. And for some reason, it gives me strength.”

It was quiet for a while. A breeze blew past them, and Baekhyun peculiarly caught a whiff of vanilla. He belatedly realized Park was dead silent. He turned his head to check whether the man was asleep, but what he was met with instead made his breath catch in his throat.

Park was looking at him, eyes trained on him in a way Baekhyun… never actually saw before. Baekhyun never actually  _ looked  _ at Park before, or so he thought. He always made the active decision to  _ not  _ look at Park. 

But now that he was looking, _really_ _looking_ , he couldn’t look away. His hair was down as it had been this past week, and some of it brushed his eyelashes. It glowed beneath the stars, making his skin seem almost golden in comparison. The metal of the car fogged under his soft puffs of breath.

But the metal itself reflected the stars up above, shining like stage lights and a sea of phone flashlights at an impromptu concert. Park was in the midst of the universe, looking at Baekhyun who he dragged with him, and his eyes held…  _ something. _

Park’s eyes  — he never looked at them. They were hooded, harsh, and patronizing whenever he happened to glance at them. But now  — were they even Park’s eyes?

The softness they held, the gentle curves of his eyelids so perfect and detailed, lined with the feathery wisps of his eyelashes, delicate enough that if Baekhyun blew them away, perhaps he could make a wish. 

His eyes themselves had stars strewn within them, falling into his pupils as if they were black holes. He saw a faint reflection of himself  — that’s how close they were, he realized  — and Baekhyun wondered a silly thought. Would Park swallow him whole as his eyes had done to the stars if he got close enough? __

“Are…” he heard himself saying, and Park blinked, but the stars did not fall out. “Are we sleeping in the car?”

“I guess,” he answered, voice soft as he was, “it doesn't look like it's gonna rain, but it's kinda deserted here. It feels kinda creepy.”

Baekhyun pushed himself up first. He slid down the windshield and scooted down the hood of the car. He heard Park following as he went over to the side of the car, the car shaking as he opened the back door. He got in.

He actually didn’t know why he got into the backseat. Actually, thinking about it now, he didn’t even know why he suggested sleeping. Baekhyun hadn’t been doing that since they got here- sleeping. He sat silently in the dark, looking at the seat in front of him absently, mind running a mile a minute.

The door opened and he saw Park sitting himself in the back seat with him gently. It was a strange thing happening, yet for some reason, it didn’t  _ feel  _ strange. It felt as if this is what it was supposed to be like.

They sat there, quiet. In Baekhyun’s buzzed brain, everything felt alright. He was hyper aware of Park’s presence next to him, feeling it radiate off the man in waves and sink into his bones, his soul. Did he always feel this way around the guy?

It started to get unsettling. Baekhyun’s mind was supplying question after question, without trying to answer them, and the shorter man felt itchy all over.

So he spoke first.

“What are you gonna do after all this is over?”

Park hummed in question as if he hadn’t heard, before answering anyway. “I’ll have to hold a press conference,” he said, sighing, “I’ll say the wedding was postponed.”

His voice reverberated around in the car  — a thick, honey-like sound filling a chilly void. Baekhyun’s arms were prickling, hairs standing on end.

“What about your parents?”

“I guess I’ll try to find a way to convince them to call it off. It’s not like I’m not capable by myself to expand the company.”

Baekhyun huffed a silent snort, almost as if he were afraid to break the atmosphere. “You could’ve just done that since the beginning. There wouldn’t have been a need for all of this.”

He saw the taller man shrug out of the corner of his eye. “It’s a business thing,” he said offhandedly, “you wouldn’t get it.”

The secretary blinked. He would be lying if he said that didn’t rub him the wrong way.

“Anyway,” Park sighed, leaning back, “what about you? What’ll you be doing?”

“Oh, you know. Back to work,” Baekhyun hummed, “life for me isn’t all that exciting, with arranged marriages and the like.”

Park chuckled, just once. It sounded like a scoff. Baekhyun was starting to frown. He hoped it wasn’t a scoff. “I don’t know, Byun,” he started, “you just gotta learn to loosen up. You’ve been uptight since college, you know?”

Baekhyun's lips instantly thinned, pressed to form a line. 

_ Who was he to say that? _

Baekhyun wasn’t  _ uptight _ , he was  _ focused _ . He knew he had to work hard to get where he wanted, and he’d known that since his thirteenth birthday, when his parents hadn’t even bothered to send him a birthday card and his aunt was caught up at the hospital. She apologized over and over again, but Baekhyun had not even been upset at her. He learned that day that he could only really rely on himself.

So who was  _ Park _ to tell him to  _ loosen up _ ? Park, who went to parties all weekend, who had rich parents and a promising future, who still had good grades no matter how much he seemed to slack off. 

_ How dare he _ , when Baekhyun fought tooth and nail for everything he deserved and wanted, and the man didn’t even have to ask for it; it landed in his lap. How dare he, when Baekhyun had to  _ protect  _ everything that was his, and yet Park managed to tug it all away and laugh in his face.

How  _ dare _ Park be so carefree and happy, when all he ever did to Baekhyun was nothing less but a pebble on the side of the road to him?

Baekhyun’s breath, which was heaving, chest rising and falling sharply, caught in his throat when he felt a nudge on his shoulder, and then a weight. He glanced down. 

The sight of Park’s sleeping face, head resting lightly on his shoulder, flared a stranger emotion in him. There was fury, hot and suffocating. And then there was a strange pulling in his chest, as if someone was grabbing his body and stretching him like tough clay, and no matter how many deep breaths he took, it would not go away. His frown deepened.

He shifted Park’s head so it was leaning against the headrest instead, lest he wake up accidentally and start speaking again. Movements quick and sober, he got out of the car, and got back into the driver's seat.

_ It was better to just go home. _

\--

The night bled into day, and it was a long, lonely one for the secretary. Although Park was shifting around and mumbling in the backseat, Baekhyun drove on in silence, eyes raw and stinging from the lack of sleep. 

He blinked, focusing back on the road. The brunet sighed. It was happening often, he found. He kept drifting off and then coming back. 

To be honest, he felt bitter. Although while he was practically fuming in his seat for the whole night, he had grown exhausted as time wore on because of hunger and fatigue, and now the fury was just bubbling slowly: anger a pot that has been on a flame for a while, and now the sides were stained burnt. 

It was about six in the afternoon when Park woke up. 

“Good morning,” Baekhyun heard him say, and a quick glance in the rearview mirror showed that he was stretching. The secretary didn’t respond, lips pursed. He looked again, reflexively due to the groaning noises the asshole was making behind him, and saw Park rubbing his eyes and looking outside. “Woah, it's afternoon,” he said, surprised. He leaned forward to check the time, “Good afternoon.”

Baekhyun didn’t give him anything more than a grunt.

Park didn't seem to notice however. He never really did. He was busy grimacing and smacking his lips. “Should I brush my teeth? Are we getting to the hotel today?”

“By tonight, yes.”

Park hummed. Baekhyun remarked surly that he was in a good mood.

“When did you wake up?” Park asked him. Baekhyun wished he would shut up.   


“Didn’t sleep.”

Park’s lack of awareness annoyed Baekhyun even more than usual. Then again, he shouldn't even be irritated — what did he expect?

Park stopped talking after that. The secretary grimly slumped in his seat. He’d been driving for more than ten hours. His shoulders ached, his head hurt, his eyes burned, and he was irate on top of that. He hoped Park would just fall asleep again and make it easier for the both of them.

He might have spoken too soon. A guttural gurgling noise escaped from the backseat, and he froze. Park groaned. Baekhyun sighed, ignoring it half out of courtesy, and half because he did not want to speak to the subject of his irritation.

“I’m hungry,” Park said, like an idiot, “where’s the food?”

“I didn’t buy any,” Baekhyun replied curtly.

And then Park’s white head was leaning forward, enough for Baekhyun to see it peeking out of the corner of his eye. “What?” he asked. Baekhyun didn’t look at him. “Did you eat at all?”

“No.”

“You…” Park’s face got close to his, and Baekhyun had to actively make the attempt to ignore his stupidly huge, searching eyes, “don’t look so good honestly. You really should eat-”

“I’ll eat when I’m home,” Baekhyun cut him off gruffly.

“That’ll take three more days,” he argued, “why are you being so stubborn? Are you going to starve until then?”

The smaller was silent.

A sigh of frustration. “Byun seriously, you haven’t been eating or sleeping and-”

He cut himself off with a yelp as Baekhyun sharply turned the wheel, pulling over to the side of the road and yanking the gear stick to park. The sun was disappearing beneath the horizon, but neither of them had time for that today.

“Why don’t you ever shut the fuck up, Park?!” he snapped finally, “why do you always run your fucking mouth?!”

Park just stared, eyes wide and jaw dropped and unable to say anything. It didn’t matter. This was long overdue.

“Who do you think you are to me? Why do you insist I listen to everything you say?!”

He blinked, “i-is this because I keep asking you to eat, Byun? Seriously, I’m just worri-”

“Don’t you  _ fucking  _ dare!”

Park’s eyes became impossibly wider, almost comical. Baekhyun was heaving, mind troubled and words unable to even come out from the ferocity they were running through his brain with.

“Why can’t you mind your own business?” he pressed on, “maybe if you did, I would have been somewhere else and not  _ here _ in the middle of nowhere with  _ you! _ ”

“What does that-”

“Maybe I would be fucking married and Jongdae wouldn’t be asking me to come over to spend the day with  _ his  _ family out of pity! Why did you have to ruin everything for me?!”

His brows furrowed, “stop saying things that make no sense, Byun.”

“My girlfriend! My ex fucking girlfriend that you stole- you fucking-” he groaned forcefully, “all of this is your fucking-”

Park was eerily calm now, eyes indecipherable beneath the shadows of dusk to Baekhyun between the emotions pumping full force through his body. “Somehow, I don’t think this is about her,” he said steadily. It angered the man in the driver’s seat.

“Fuck you! I loved her! I loved her so fucking much, we were together for so fucking long and then you have to come by and-”

“With all due respect, Byun,” he sighed, “she would have cheated at some point. If not with me, then someone else-”

Baekhyun scrambled onto his knees, reaching and grabbed Park’s shirt, “shut the fuck up! She loved me! She’s always fucking loved me and you just manipulated her! Y-you-”

He was crying.

“It’s not fucking fair how you’re so fucking happy while you make me miserable” he said. Park sat there, eyes sad and watching with his body strung tight, and Baekhyun  _ hated  _ that. ”I should’ve left you back there so your life could be a fucking mess too.” 

He heard a breath, and then felt hands gently grasping his arms and tugging. And although he was confused,  _ afraid _ almost, he felt as if something in him loosened and his sobs grew louder, unable to stop though he wanted to, so bad. 

“Don’t touch me,” he tried, trying to pry his hands off, but it was fruitless. Baekhyun’s body was shaking, weak and fatigued, and Park was trying to urge him to the backseat. 

He tried staying put, just covering his face with his hands and shadows, but Park didn’t let him. He pulled at his wrists, bringing them away from his eyes every single time Baekhyun tried. He was so irritating, so  _ stubborn _ with the way he pulled and pulled, and Baekhyun was tired. So with weak legs, he let Park help him crawl to the back seat.

Baekhyun didn’t know what to expect then, but it certainly wasn’t the arms wrapped around him, pulling him closer so his cries were muffled in the man’s hoodie. He tried pulling away, his mind screaming “Park! Touching!”, over and over again, but the hold on him grew tighter the more he tried.

It went on until it didn’t anymore. Baekhyun gave up, because Park didn’t seem to want to let go of him anytime soon. He feebly let Park hold him while he sobbed freely into his shoulder.

All of the frustrations he held all these years seemed to pour out heavily, and as his cries grew louder, they grew painful. The sound of his own crying was scaring him, and he found himself wondering,  _ when had he been hurt so bad? _ Then Park was holding him tighter, and it pulled more out of him, somehow the touch making him frantic and confused.

He couldn’t understand why his body was allowing the touch, why the thickly sweet smell of  _ Park _ had his muscles relaxing and his brain letting go, as if he had been reacquainted with something he had always needed, but never knew.

It didn’t make sense, and it scared him — all these new emotions and feelings suddenly revealing themselves from seemingly nowhere. His body shuddered, gasping as vulnerability overtook him, and a tiny part of himself was thankful for the firm, grounding hold he was in. He would have spiraled otherwise, no doubt.

His throat was feeling raw, but he couldn’t stop. His cheeks felt soggy, face messy where it was pressed into Park’s neck, and his hands were clutching the poor man as if he were on the verge of death. 

His mind was telling him things, so many things, all at once and so loudly he couldn’t understand. His heart ached as Park started slowly rubbing his back and it  _ shouldn’t  _ have been as comforting as it was.  _ Why? _

Then as his lungs were gulping in air, chokes and sobs lessening, as he relaxed into the sturdy chest in front of him, he felt so terribly tired, as if his body was leaving his soul. His eyes were heavy; most likely swollen and raw. All he could feel was the warmth and hold on him keeping him close, the soft beating of a heart, and a slight rocking motion that he couldn't really pinpoint. His mind quieted, until the words just became a lone hum.

_ He wasn’t upset all these years that Park took his girlfriend. He was upset Park didn’t take him. _

The last bits of tears stuck in his eyes trickled out as he closed them, and soon, he fell asleep.

\--

When Baekhyun tried opening his eyes, he panicked at how it took him more effort than usual.

Bright light hit him first, and he had to blink a couple times to try to adjust to it. When he could finally see, the car was filled with a startling amount of light. His eyes met the ceiling of the car first, then his gaze travelled to the window. Buildings were passing by, and Baekhyun blinked. They were in the city.

When he finally turned his attention to the driver’s seat, Park was in it. He was driving.

Baekhyun laid there for a couple of seconds, eyes straining and sore, and no doubt puffy. Park was faring well with the unfamiliar left side of the road. Baekhyun noted he had changed out of the hoodie from last night and wore a white t-shirt. 

When Baekhyun pulled himself up, Park must have noticed movement because when the smaller tried to steal a glance through the rearview mirror, he was already looking.

“You’re up,” he said, eyes crinkling from the obvious smile. It was different. It was new. Beakhyun’s own lips quirked.

“I feel like shit,” he chuckled, rubbing his eyes.

“Yeah, you passed right out and I felt we could rest better if we got to the hotel,” the CEO responded.

Park drove? Baekhyun almost smiled to himself. He wondered if he drove carefully, though, because when they stopped, they were a little less than five hours away. It was morning now, and judging by the amount of cars around them, it was definitely rush hour.

“How close are we?”

“Well, I drove all night and we’re five minutes away,” he said proudly. Baekhyun would have been impressed, except-

“Five?!,” he straightened up, checking the time, “oh my god, did you book a room?”

“Oh shit,” Park froze, then smiled sheepishly at him, “no, I forgot.”

The brunet sighed and fished out his phone. He searched up the number to the hotel and put it in. 

As he held it up to his ear, he caught Park’s eye in the rearview mirror again, the man’s eyes squinted in delight and his smile shone at the secretary, brighter than the morning was. Baekhyun couldn’t help the sudden shy smile that overtook his own features by surprise, before averting his eyes.

\--

The minute Baekhyun unlocked the door to their hotel, Park let out a big sigh of relief. He went in first and dropped their things on the couch. Baekhyun followed with a chuckle. Earlier in the car, the blond had suggested a shared hotel room with a shy gaze, and Baekhyun, malfunctioning, had agreed. 

The man flopped on the bed, eyes closed with a relaxed smile. “Don't you wanna go freshen up?” Baekhyun asked, trying to keep the smile out of his voice. He placed the box of breakfast they had picked up along the way on a work desk in the corner.

“After we eat? Your cheeks are sunken.”

Baekhyun scoffed, toeing off his shoes with a smile, “yeah, let's eat first then.”

They gathered on the crowded couch with the box between them. Baekhyun munched on the bacon silently, suddenly shy around the taller. It was different now. They haven't argued or called each other names in a while. The air between them was different too, and though it felt strange, their secret smiles and stolen glances made up for it. 

They were sharing from the same box. Park ate slowly, slower than he normally would. Baekhyun also caught him watching him eat before looking back down with a satisfied expression.

The whole thing stirred something in his heart.

“Eat more,” Park said suddenly, breaking him out of his thoughts. He was pushing more than half of the scrambled eggs towards Baekhyun’s side of the box. “You practically starved yourself this past week.”

“And whose fault is that?” Baekhyun quipped with a small smile.

“Literally yours,” Park huffed, very seriously sorting their food into portions, “look at you, you look like a starved racoon.”

The smile on the smaller’s face grew, and it was beginning to get ridiculous how he couldn’t hold it back. He said nothing, take a bite of his croissant. The bite was flakey and pleasantly buttery on his tongue, taste simple yet strangely comforting in the way it melted in his mouth.

“Do you want to take a shower first?” 

Baekhyun looked up at him again. Park wasn’t looking at him, but instead picking at the scrambled eggs with his fork. “Sure,” he said. He was feeling grimy in his skin, clothes feeling old, and his hair was a little greasy. When was the last time he showered? Oh yeah, the motel.

Baekhyun couldn’t finish all the food in the end. He found it funny how Park nagged at him to eat it anyway, eyes serious and voice stubborn, until he convinced him his stomach would literally burst if he did. With a halfhearted glare, Park let him escape to the bathroom first.

When he got out after a ten minute shower, Park was under the covers and the curtains were drawn, leaving the room in shadows. The air conditioning was on as well, and after the warmth and humidity of the bathroom, the crisp air was starting to make him drowsy.

“Go take a shower,” Baekhyun told him, shoving his laundry into a plastic bag. He’ll put that in his suitcase later, after a long nap. Park peeked at Baekhyun from under the comforter, then closed his eyes, looking as if he were about to argue. He got up anyway though, with bedraggled hair and pout. 

“I was comfortable…” he mumbled, shuffling.

“You’ll feel even better after you shower,” Baekhyun said, patting his shoulder as he passed. Then he froze. They never did casual physical contact like that. Would it be suddenly weird?

But the smaller watched as Park walked into the bathroom unbothered.  _ Huh. _ So it wasn’t weird.

He laid down on the ruffled bed, the comforter and soft mattress cushioning his aching shoulders and back. It felt as if he hadn’t slept on an actual bed in years. It felt as if he hadn’t  _ slept  _ in years, full stop.

He was drifting in and out of consciousness when the sound of a door opening woke him up again. He peered through the dim light to see Park coming out, towel furiously drying his white hair. He wore shorts and a gray T-shirt. Baekhyun watched as he walked closer and tossed the towel onto the desk chair. 

Baekhyun watched as he ruffled his hair with a hand, messing it up some more, and out of nowhere, he flopped on top of an unsuspecting Baekhyun. It forced a laugh out of the latter, surprised and delighted. He fought the urge to run his fingers through Park’s barely towel dried hair and even it out.

“Let’s sleep now, please,” Park mumbled, and he was more than happy to.

Baekhyun nudged him and he pushed himself off. They straightened up to sleep normally, each on their respective sides of the bed. Baekhyun was facing the window, listening to the cars driving by outside. That, and Park moving around next to him. The blond seemed to be a pretty restless sleeper from what he saw this past week.

“Byun,” he heard him whisper, even though they were the only two there. 

“Yeah?”

“Are you awake?”

Baekhyun found himself snorting. But before he could point out the obvious, he felt the bed shift and then a warmth come up behind him, a familiar arm coming around to pull him closer. His eyes widened, body heated up, and his heart felt as if it were pounding so loud, it could be heard all over the room.

“What's this,” Baekhyun said, chuckling nervously. They’re doing  _ this _ now? God, he hoped Park couldn't tell how timid his voice sounded. “The icy Mr. Park is a big cuddly baby? Wait ‘till I tell everyone at work.”

“What’ll you tell?” Park countered, poking him in the side. Baekhyun squirmed at that, and he seemed to note it, “that we cuddled in one bed, in a single hotel room, in a far away country?”

He started digging his fingers into Baekhyun's ribs, wiggling them around and sending shocks through the smaller’s body. The latter couldn't help the peals of laughter forced out of him and his body tried to wriggle away, but the hold the taller hand on him was stronger. His hands came up to hold Park’s wrists to remove them, but he was unable to because the laughter was making him weak.

“Stop it and go to sleep,” Baekhyun wheezed, pulling at his wrists feebly, “I thought you were tired.”

At that, the big, soft, teddy bear of a man stopped. Instead, he nuzzled into the back of his neck, humming. “Okay.” Baekhyun’s neck heated up and he hoped he couldn’t tell.

Baekhyun sighed, relaxing again. He could feel Park’s breath on his neck evening out, and not even five minutes later, he was asleep.

This was very nice. All Baekhyun could think about was how he could get used to this. Sure, they would have to be up front and talk about everything that happened, but he was okay with that because this — warm cuddles, soft smiles, caring eyes, and gentle laughter; this was the happiest and most at ease he had ever felt.

The smell of their shampoo and body wash filled the little space they had made, since they had both used the hotel provided toiletries, along with the blond’s distinct scent of caramel and vanilla. They smelled like tangerines and chocolate. Park’s touch felt like chocolate.

Baekhyun bit his lip as he smiled, thinking of all the new possibilities. Would he be able to make the blond his favorite breakfast, banana french toast, every morning? Would they go out after work for a walk in a park come spring, holding hands in street lights as cherry blossom petals swayed in the air around them? Or maybe they could stay over at the office, taking their time with their work together? Oh god, Baekhyun couldn’t wait to go back-

His smile dropped. 

_ Home. _

Then he remembered Park wanted to hold a press conference. He’s going to cancel the wedding… But what about the backlash? Baekhyun’s brows furrowed as he could already imagine the headlines and social media posts. He could already hear the meetings as they worried over the dropping stocks. He could already see Park’s face, marred with worry and stress, eyes dull and smile strained. 

And if Park was awake right now, he could have felt Baekhyun’s rapidly beating heart under his arm. And maybe he would have thought it was for one reason. But that reason would certainly be incorrect, because instead of silken touches and wispy breaths, Baekhyun was thinking about the growing shadow there was no way to escape.

\--

Baekhyun settled in his seat, slipping on the headphones that the airline provided. He barely rode in business class, but Park had insisted they did earlier that week when they booked the tickets. The seats were spacious and softer, and they had plenty of legroom. Park had chosen the window seat, peering outside like a child keen on watching the landscape grow smaller and smaller as the plane ascended.

Baekhyun smiled fondly at the sight, helpless. He tried not to sigh out loud, not wanting to attract the blond’s attention. The smaller was unable to look him in the eye the entire day. Park, of course, hadn’t noticed. All throughout breakfast, he happily talked about nothing in particular and munched away. Getting through check-in and boarding was as stressful as it always was, especially since they were technically not supposed to be there. Park was occupied the whole day and Baekhyun was silently grateful for that, because there was no way he could hide much from him anymore.

A lot was wrong; Baekhyun had realized it last night. It was as if that moral compass that had been missing this past week had caught up with him, needle spinning wildly, blaring sirens to boot. But then again, perhaps he was always morally conscious, it’s just the fact that they were nothing more than employer and employee, and rivals, made him feel as if it didn’t matter what Park did with his life. 

But now here they were, being  _ more  _ than just coworkers, more than childhood acquaintances that were always at each other’s necks, being…  _ whatever _ they were. They were softer, warmer, gentler. They gazed at each other with cashmere eyes and didn’t look away when they were caught. They smiled at each other in the mornings and ducked away shyly when the sight of the other was too much to handle. 

_ Whatever they were... _

But he always came back to the imminent future, thinking of all the trouble Park was going to go through, thinking of all the words he was going to hear and see, all the people that could potentially hurt him, all the frustration he would get put through if Baekhyun wanted to be selfish and keep him all to himself. He didn’t want that. 

Because he wanted Park like he was now: eyes wide and starry, filled with wonder and amazement even though he had probably seen the view a couple hundred times. He wanted him smiling. 

The plane started cruising at a steady altitude and Park leaned his head onto his shoulder, chuckling at the movie playing on Baekhyun’s screen.

He wanted him happy.

\--

“Oh jeez, those seats are always so cramped,” Park complained, stretching. 

Baekhyun hummed mindlessly, pulling the medium sized suitcase along with him. His hand on the handle was getting clammy as he got lost in his thoughts.  _ It was going to be over the moment they stepped foot outside of this airport. _

Time was running out.

He watched Parks back as he walked in front of him. He should speak out. He had to speak out. Or it would be too late, and it would be Baekhyun's fault.

He stopped abruptly, staring hard at the ground. He was feeling nauseous, but he had to force this out. “Park,” he called out. He could tell the man turned to look at him. The brunet didn't make eye contact.

“What’s up?” came his voice, free, caring, “you want me to pull the suitcase?”

_ Don’t do this to me _ . He squeezed his eyes shut, bangs hiding him away like the coward he was. “Whatever this is,” he started, “we should stop.”

There was silence. People walked by, some rushing, some taking their time. Some were by themselves, some with family, and some with friends. They paid them no mind, because everyone had their own lives in the end. He could hear children laughing somewhere behind them.

“What?”

“This… whatever we’re doing.”

“You… want to stop?” he asked. His voice squeezed Baekhyun’s heart. “Why?”

He took a breath. There was no way Park would let him go if he told him the actual reason.

“Every time I look at you I'm reminded of her.”

There it was again; that not-so-silent silence. He looked up. Park didn’t even try hiding his expression and  he looked as if he got punched in the gut, which was how Baekhyun felt.

“That was so long ago, Byun,” he said, winded.

“I know. But I look at you and all I see… I just see someone who stole everything precious that belonged to me.”

Park inhaled sharply. “Fine,” he seemed to force out, “fine.”

The brunet nodded stiffly. It was over now. 

“But before I go, I want to answer something I didn’t before.”

Baekhyun inhaled. He stayed silent, not trusting his voice. 

The blond’s face was scrunched, in the way one would try to push away an imminent breakdown. His eyes didn’t waver. “When you asked why I didn’t try to convince my parents before for the whole thing to be called off?” he brought up. Baekhyun remembered that. They were under the stars, thousands of miles away from where they were now. 

He offhandedly thought it was ironic: that old billboard and this airport are thousands of miles away, and those stars were  _ millions  _ of miles away but even in Seoul, they weren’t any further.

“Because I didn’t think there was…” he shook his head, struggling to find the words, “I didn’t think there could be any alternative I would care enough to fight for. But then I saw your tweet, and then I found myself asking you to take me away even though I knew it was you.”

The smaller’s gaze immediately shifted to the floor ducking his head. Whatever was coming next, he knew it would be the death of him.

“And somewhere along the way I found myself certain I could handle whatever the consequences were, no matter the cost."

Baekhyun's throat felt tight. His eyes were on the verge of tearing. He just nodded, unable to trust his heart, because he was sure the moment he opened his mouth, he would drop everything for this man. 

Park Chanyeol was making it so hard to walk away. 

But to his luck and the former’s promise, he heard footsteps walking away. He stood there, head low and eyes wet until he couldn't distinguish them from the hundreds of footsteps all around him. And then he started off on his own, separate path.

He walked and walked, past the gates, past the airport. The sidewalk looked the same as he absently registered the dull ache in his soles along with the more prominent one in his chest. 

At some point, he looked up and was met with tall hotels and tourists walking around, smiling and curious. He didn’t even know where he was. He went on. He paid all the people around him no mind, because he felt as if someone had swooped in and took the sky away piece by  _ agonizing  _ piece, dooming the world to waste away in a pitless ocean.

It was all over now. In a day or two, Baekhyun would go back to work. And Park would be there, tormenting him like he always did. He wouldn’t blame him if he did worse, either.

But either way, It was going to be back to how it was, how it  _ should  _ be. Park would get married, his company would expand. His parents would be happy, and the public would be happy. He would go home every day to his wife, and maybe even some kids in the future.

Sitting down on a bench, he sighed. This was for Park’s best, he told himself. The idiot was reckless and couldn’t think on his own. Park never thought before he did anything; that was how he always was. This was for Park’s happiness. Baekhyun groaned, rubbing his temples in frustration.

Then why did he look as if he were leaving his entire soul behind back there?

\--

The secretary jumped out of the taxi the second it pulled to a stop and shut the door in a hurry. His eyes stayed trailed up the tall apartment in front of him, stopping on his destination at the top. The penthouse.

The penthouse belonged to the fiancée, Choi Jin Soo. Being a secretary had its perks, he decided, because he had access to the place she currently lived in. He was lucky, because she owned a lot of houses. 

Baekhyun only knew Park was there, however, because he had opened twitter and tried to look for clues as to where the man was. And luckily, Jin Soo had tweeted a picture of him eating at her table. He wasn’t even looking at the camera. His face was devoid of emotion, which was  _ so  _ unlike Park, and the more time it was taking Baekhyun to get to him, the more it was tearing him up inside.

He pushed the elevator button once. It lit up, but when he checked which floor it was on, he groaned. Floor  _ twenty eight! _

Baekhyun was desperate. And he never really liked to wait, especially when it would do more harm than good. He went on to the end of the hall, yanked open the door to the staircase and started running. 

He lost count of the flights of stairs, but he still wasn’t at the top, and that was all that was on his mind. His chest was getting tight, heart pounding, and if his mind wasn’t screaming at him to  _ fucking get to Park _ , he would have stopped to catch his breath.

When he finally reached the top, he leaned against the wall by the door. Gasping, he bent forward and took deep breaths. He just needed to breathe, to be able to actually get a word out before he could do what he came here to do. He barely waited for his heart rate to slow, instead, Baekhyun straightened up and rang the doorbell, eyes fixed restlessly on the white, wooden door.

As he waited, his shallow breaths were steadying, but his heart still thundered. After a few seconds, the oxygen might have finally gotten to his brain, because he started to get worried. 

_ What if Jin Soo was there? _ He thought,  _ Oh god, he didn’t think this through- _

He froze as the lock clicked and the door swung inwards. Familiar eyes were cold, and not looking at him.

Until they were.

“Park!” Baekhyun gasped, feeling relieved, remorseful, and restless all at once. 

The man was bewildered, eyes wide. He looked at him as if he couldn’t believe he was there, as if he were a ghost. “Why are you here?” he asked, softly, and not unkind.

Baekhyun took a small step forward. Park moved aside, just a little, but it was enough. He was letting him come in. “I’m not going to walk away,” he started quietly, almost nonsensical, “I don’t want to walk away.”

The stupid blond opened and closed his mouth in that way he did. He opened it again, “y-you said didn’t want this, why are you-”

“Oh for fucks sake,” he huffed, stepping closer, “I lied my fucking ass off.”

“Byun-”

“I thought you’d be happier if you got married like you should have, because there would be so much negativity from all of South Korea,” Park opened his mouth again, but Baekhyun continued, “and what if it affected the company? And what if your parents didn’t let it go?”

“You can't make that decision for me-”

“But then when you said all that stuff about c-caring-” he was tripping over his words at this point, flustered, “y-your face looked like you were torn, like you hated what I was asking of you.”

“Because I  _ did _ , but-”

“I  _ know _ , and I’m so fucking  _ sorry _ !” Baekhyun was barely giving him room to speak, he knew it, but felt as if he had to get everything out, as if Park  _ had  _ to know what he was feeling before sending him away forever. “I lied about that. I  _ just  _ figured out that I've liked you for such a long time, maybe since way back then. Of course I wanted you to myself! I just.. I liked seeing you happy this past week. And I wish life could always be like that, but it really can't.”

“Byun.”

“And if I could, I would take you somewhere you don’t have to worry another day-”

“ _ Baekhyun _ .”

That stopped him mid-thought. That was the first time in years — the first time Park had used his first name.

“I know that,” he said. And Baekhyun finally loosened his shoulders and looked up at him  _ properly _ . The absolute  _ fudge muffin  _ was crowded against the wall, looking down at him with utter  _ fondness  _ and it churned and churned away at the smaller’s stomach.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” he asked quite bluntly, voice softened to a whisper. Park’s hands pulled him closer by the waist (when had they gotten there?) and he felt the burn of oncoming tears.

“What I said,” he replied simply. His dimple was so visible like this, in the shadow of the hallway. “I know you, Byun. And you know me too. After all, we’d seen the worst of each other when we were younger and you were always by my side, whether we thought we wanted it or not. But apparently, you don’t know me enough to be confident in me.”

“Because you are so  _ clumsy _ ,” he whispered, hand weakly pushing at the taller’s chest. He chuckled at that, the sound hushed like rain pattering on a window.

“Why would you think I didn’t think of all that?” he asked gently, hands trailing down his arms to tenderly hold Baekhyun’s and stroke the backs of them with his thumbs, comforting. He was in no way demanding answers; just simply getting Baekhyun’s brain to think. “And why would you think I didn’t know how hard it would be?”

“I don't know...” he said, because he truly didn’t. Of course he knew him, but it seemed Baekhyun thought of the worst case scenario, like he always did.

“And why would you think that mattered to me at all?” Park continued, scoffing lightly, “If the public didn’t like the fact that I called off the wedding? Or if stocks went down? I can always get them up, Byun, you _know_ what I’m capable of.”

Baekhyun felt his face heat up at the look Park gave him.

“And if my parents didn't want me to call it off? It doesn't matter to me because I'll do it anyway,” he said, pulling him closer by his hands, “I'm an adult. And sure they tried to set me up with a woman when I obviously was not attracted to them, but they were doing what they thought was best for the company. But now I have my own plans. And they’ll come around to it.”

Baekhyun was silent, his head lowered and unable to look him in the eyes. He was right. Everything this not-really idiot said was true. He felt Park’s presence lean closer, notes of caramel and dulled tangerine shampoo invading his senses.

“After all these years, Baek, it's  _ you  _ who’s known me the best. But you couldn’t figure this out.”

And then finally, the tear threatening to fall did. 

When Park ducked to catch his lips, Baekhyun let him, responding with just as much passion. His stomach felt fluttery, as if it were his first kiss, and as the taller tilted his head to deepen it, his hand flew to tangle in his platinum white hair. 

One hand in his hair and the other in Park’s own, he let the man pull him impossibly closer. His larger hand delicately held Baekhyun’s face, index finger against the edge of his jawline and thumb on his chin, tilting his face up.

Kissing Park tasted like a sorrow willing to mend, and kissing him felt like everything they had ever known together; all the bruises, tears, sleepless nights, roses and raspberries, tangerines and chocolate. All of it.

They both didn’t hear the keypad beeping or the door opening until it was too late. 

“Chanyeol! What the hell?!”

Baekhyun pulled away first, whipping his head towards the woman in the doorway with his eyes wide. 

Jin Soo was tall, slender, and elegant. Her black hair was put up into a bun, strands of hair framing her face. She was wearing a jumpsuit, stylish, even though she probably just went out for an errand. She was pissed, but still gorgeous.

“What the  _ fuck  _ are you doing in my house? In your  _ fiancée’s _ house?!”

Baekhyun winced at the word. His hand tightened where it was in Park’s shirt, anxiety spiking. “Hey, m-maybe I should-”

But the blond didn’t even let him finish. He pulled him back, his own body shielding Baekhyun from her view. “I’m calling off the wedding,” he announced then with finality.

While Baekhyun gaped at him in disbelief, she was faring much worse. 

“What the hell, Yeol?!” her frustrated scream came, and Baekhyun was sure she could be heard a couple floors down. He instinctively shut his eyes at the volume.

“You go missing in Ireland,” she continued, “and you come back a week later with some lame excuse. And then I walk into  _ my own house _ and find you making out with someone  _ else _ ?! And now you want to  _ call off the wedding _ ?! What are you fucking doing-” she was spluttering now, finger coming up to point accusingly at Baekhyun from where he was hidden away, “was he the one who- who- is it because of him?!”

“Yes, it is,” Park said matter-of-factly, voice steady and unyielding. It was the same he used during business meetings. “And I am also not attracted to women. I’ve already told you.”

“Please, you’ll get  _ used  _ to it,” she rolled her eyes, and if Baekhyun wasn’t shaking so hard, he’d have been disgusted, “besides, this is for the  _ companies _ . Couldn’t you bear with it for the greater good? Are you that selfish?”

The brunet frowned. She was guilt tripping, and if it were Baekhyun, he would have groveled at her feet. But Park was a different story.

“Listen, Ms. Choi,” he said instead. Baekhyun rested his forehead against Park’s back. “I love him. I’ve always done so. You can’t expect to have everything you want.”

_ I love him. _

“ _ He’s  _ taking you away from me!” she screeched.

But the CEO shook his head, confident, “this is my choice. The least you can do is respect my decision.”

And at that, Jin Soo spluttered, face red. Park decided it was enough, and tightened his hold on his hand. He pulled him along gently as he brushed past her out the door. Baekhyun shied his face away, feeling her angry eyes on him, and unable to face her even though he hadn’t even done anything wrong. 

As they reached the elevator, they could hear the  _ bang  _ of the door slamming resonate throughout the hall, but that didn’t matter anymore. All that was on Baekhyun’s mind was “I love him.”

_ He loved him. _

In the elevator, Park was still holding on to his hand. The doors closed.

“Hey,” Baekhyun called out in the quiet elevator music. 

“Hm?”

“What was that back there?”

“What?” Park looked confused for a second before a blush overtook his ears, “o-oh.”

“And you called me my name.” he reminded with a giddy smile. He was truly enjoying milking this, “ _ and  _ Baek.”

Park- no,  _ Chanyeol  _ ducked his head shyly, his bangs hanging in front of his face. Baekhyun could have brushed them up with his fingers, but it didn’t matter. He could do that whenever he pleased now. He smiled that adorable, dimpled smile, “well, it’s about time, isn’t it?”

“Is it?” the shorter wondered, “I liked my nicknames for you.”

The other gasped as if he were offended, “those hurt my feelings!”

“Did they?” Baekhyun mused, “you can call me one too, then.”

“I can?”

“Yeah, just to make it even.”

Chanyeol nodded, face childishly bright as if he were about to enter a candy shop. “Okay,” he giggled, “Baekhyun, you are a toxic…”

Baekhyun waited, smiling expectantly.

“...Flamingo.”

The secretary had to purse his lips to keep from bursting out laughing.

“Was that good?”

“That was great.”

“No it wasn’t,” Chanyeol pouted, “you’re just saying that.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Baekhyun huffed, a laugh escaping. He squeezed the hand in his. They watched the numbers go down with their own small smiles. It was quite the ride from the top of the building to the bottom.

He heard the other inhale, “you know, I’ve known it for a while.”

“Known what?” the brunet asked, tilting his head at him. Chanyeol was looking ahead though, cheeks pink.

“I didn’t want the girl, I just didn't want you with her.”

The smaller instantly felt pleasantly lightheaded, Baekhyun’s insides felt as if they got hit by a hurricane. His face was so hot, he could practically feel the heat radiating. He bit his lip, trying to hide the smile. But it was still so obvious, and he knew it.

“It’s about time, huh?” he mumbled.

“Hm?” 

Baekhyun laughed silently to himself, feeling a high he’s never known. The elevator dinged steadily. They were almost at the last floor. 

“I love you too, Chanyeol.”

He let himself steal a glance at the man next to him. And when he was met with the sight of that dimple, he knew. 

As the doors opened and they stepped out hand in hand, Baekhyun couldn’t help the glances he kept stealing. People glanced at them in the lobby, and he couldn’t tell if they recognized the blond next to him or not, but it didn’t matter to either of them anyway.

Baekhyun wondered how all last week he had been so keen on getting home, back into his comfort zone, wanting to rest. But along the way, he realized his  _ actual  _ home was where Chanyeol always was — he just never took the time to think about it. 

Baekhyun thought it was funny how he had been yearning for home the whole time without knowing he was already there.

Nowhere was home without Chanyeol.


End file.
